Jealousy and envy were never particularly special emotions to me.
Hadn't my life been one where I'd gone without far more often than I'd ever possessed anything?
There was even a time when I carried jealousy at my side at all times.
Why did that child still have both parents alive? Why was that person born with talent? Why did that person luck into a Fortuitous Encounter? And so on.
But, well. It was never an emotion that lasted long.
Because I had pride in what I had built up, confidence that I could achieve even more in the future, and a slight arrogance that I had already surpassed those I once envied, all growing within me.
At some point, looking up was no longer about gazing at the heights, but about climbing toward them. And so, these days, there was little reason to feel envy, and even when it did arise, it quickly faded away.
…Clearly, the feeling I had toward Gak-myeong, who had attained enlightenment alone during our sparring bout, was nothing special.
"Hoo."
No, the more I thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. How could a martial artist who had reached Transcendent Peak gain enlightenment from a single sparring bout?
I didn't know what he had seen in me, but I wished he would show me a bit of it too.
My posture naturally turned crooked as I watched Gak-myeong, but only for a moment. I let out a snort at the fact that, despite his massive build, our eye levels were roughly aligned even while seated, and sheathed my sword.
Right. What was the point of being envious? Enlightenment was, in the end, nothing more than a catalyst. Whether one could grasp it depended on the preparation one had built up over time.
Gak-myeong had already been ready to attain enlightenment. Even if it hadn't been me, it was an enlightenment he would have reached someday.
So there was no need to cling to the fact that we had merely been sparring together…
"Namu Amitabha! Senior Brother Gak-myeong has attained enlightenment twice before the year is out! This was only possible because he met a good benefactor in young hero Cheon. I offer my sincere gratitude!"
"Ah, Monk Geum-myeong! Shouldn't you be standing guard as the Cultivation Guardian? We'll help too!"
"Heh heh. Your intentions are noble, but leave this to me and step back. From what I saw before, when someone of Gak-myeong's martial level consolidates enlightenment, they sometimes draw in the internal energy of those nearby. It's usually fine, but… if you stand close enough to serve as a Cultivation Guardian, I worry you might suffer internal injuries."
"Ah! Understood! Then we'll watch from afar, Monk Geum-myeong!"
The Shaolin rising talents hurriedly scurried away, while Gak-myeong, his face filled with emotion, repeatedly expressed his gratitude to me.
But only one sentence echoed in my ears.
Attained enlightenment twice before the year is out?
It was good that I had grasped the thread of Intent while facing the Blood Flame Fist Demon, but the enlightenment I had gained before that was years ago.
It was back when the Righteous-Unorthodox Alliance was still locked in sharp conflict with the Demonic Cult—the last time I had wielded killing intent like a Qi Sense, not in a one-on-one duel but on a battlefield where countless martial artists were tangled together, all fighting to survive.
Since then, I had only grown more familiar with what I already possessed, learning to use it better and picking up tricks along the way.
I had merely recovered the martial level I had lost—nothing that could be called an enlightenment.
And yet, here I was, a martial artist who had climbed all the way to Transcendent Peak, gaining enlightenment not on a battlefield where life and death hung in the balance, but from a mere sparring bout… and this was even the second time this year…
My stomach suddenly began to ache.
And Tang So-wol, who had been approaching with her usual airy smile, noticed it right away.
"We may not know who won or lost, but we've gone and owed Shaolin a debt! …But what's the matter? You don't look well. It's just like when it rains shortly after you've swung your sword, and you have no choice but to leave the training ground."
"…Isn't that description a bit too detailed?"
"A rain-soaked young hero Cheon looks like a drenched puppy, so adorable that I simply can't help myself."
"?"
It was a comparison I'd never heard in my life, and I was a little taken aback.
But seeing as she wasn't just saying it for the sake of saying it, Tang So-wol giggled and continued her explanation.
"Walking over all soggy and disheveled from the rain, and when you look closely, you've got that sulky expression on your face."
"I've never done that."
"But when I dry your wet hair and play with you a little, your mood lifts right away and the corners of your mouth twitch."
"…So you've been playing with me all this time?"
"Oh, that's just a saying. Just words."
"…"
Tang So-wol giggled, covering her mouth with her wide sleeve. Each time she did, I found myself debating whether to grab her round ears that poked out from between her dark green-tinted hair.
Seomun Hwa-rin narrowed her eyes at the golden energy radiating from Gak-myeong's entire body, then spoke.
"Well then. How did it go, you?"
"What do you mean?"
"The sparring bout. It was obvious you were just starting to enjoy yourself when it got cut off, and on top of that your opponent went and achieved enlightenment on a whim—you must be furious."
"Didn't I already tell you that's not the case?"
Seomun Hwa-rin, not even pretending to hear my protest, poked Seol Ri-hyang in the shoulder.
"Hyang-i, what do you think?"
"Think about what? He looks a bit sulkier than usual, but I don't think he's all that displeased."
"You see it that way too? I had the same thought."
"Wait, why are the two of you deciding how I feel?"
"You don't agree?"
"…It's close enough, I suppose."
A little. The ending hadn't sat quite right with me, but the sparring itself had been enjoyable.
Before my regression, I had been able to experience the Buddhist martial arts that the Heavenly Demon had thoroughly exterminated, leaving nothing intact.
In particular, the Immovable Wisdom King Step was intriguing because it didn't control power by moving the body, but rather controlled the body by moving power.
The unwavering upper body, and the impact that was fully transmitted even after being deflected—surely both were due to the reversed order.
This isn't something one can replicate simply by practicing body movements.
It would require complex internal energy manipulation and a deep reserve of internal energy to support it.
But there's no need to lament. Having already achieved Sword-Mind Unity and being able to perfectly control every action, a body that doesn't waver even under violent movement isn't much of an impressive feat for me.
Having seen it once, I could probably mimic it to a similar degree right now.
What truly impressed me wasn't the flawless stance, but the impact that was fully delivered even after being deflected.
Since I don't know the Oral Formulas for the Immovable Wisdom King Step or the Immovable Wisdom King Fist, I wouldn't be able to replicate something similar.
But at least I now know it's possible.
So, I just need to try various things in my own way.
For example… instead of keeping the energy contained within the sword itself, transfer it into the sword wind.
Even now, a sword wind imbued with plenty of internal energy is sharp enough to slice through a person's skin, but not enough to take a life.
Moreover, it's virtually useless against someone who has properly trained their External Arts, and its effectiveness drops exponentially the further the distance.
In truth, the sword wind is closer to a supplementary technique for cleanly cutting down clearly inferior opponents.
But if I could manage to pour the full force of a sword strike into the sword wind itself, the number of ways I could use it would increase dramatically.
To use it as a surprise move in an unexpected moment, or perhaps.
"Hmm. Something like this…"
I focused my mind on the sensation at my fingertips and swung the edge of my hand toward the empty air.
My hand split the air. And then it wrapped around a portion of the air it had parted.
As if someone had given me a push from behind, the edge of my hand traced its line far more easily than usual.
Since I was just swinging my hand carelessly, it wouldn't have been much, but if I had swung a sword properly, it would have moved as if the blade had suddenly accelerated mid-strike.
This wasn't swinging a sword infused with internal energy. It was swinging the sword with my arm while simultaneously pushing the internal energy along with the blade.
With more things to focus on, I could barely manage a single swing, and even then, since I wasn't used to it yet, there was no noticeable effect.
If I ever became accustomed to it, I could dramatically increase the power of the Mystery of Speed, which required swift swings, or the Mysteries of Change and Flow, where the movement of internal energy was crucial.
It wasn't quite enough to reach enlightenment, but having learned something was enough, wasn't it?
My path was one no one had walked before, so there was no need to compare myself to others or feel rushed.
Just taking it one step at a time like this…
"Ah."
There was a time limit—until the Heavenly Demon invaded.
The joy of learning didn't last long. Of course, I wasn't entirely anxious either, so as I let out a short, complicated sigh, Seomun Hwa-rin narrowed her eyes and spoke.
"That just now… was quite similar."
"There's a clear difference in the essential parts, so it only looks similar on the surface. In practice, the way they're used will differ as well."
Gak-myeong could pour his everything into the Immovable Wisdom King Fist—that honest, straightforward punch that couldn't be blocked and wasn't easy to deflect.
However, doing something like that was impossible for me. At best, I could use it occasionally as a supplement to my sword.
"Still, it's absurd that you sparred once and stole a technique from it. You were grumbling that you hadn't achieved enlightenment, and yet you've properly learned something."
"Stole, you say. That's a bit harsh."
"Regardless of the truth, that's how the world will see it. …Take that kid over there, for instance, standing in the corner with his mouth hanging open."
Following Seomun Hwa-rin's fingertip, I turned my gaze. There stood a rising talent of Shaolin, his mouth agape with a dazed expression.
His name was… I'd forgotten it, but I certainly remembered his face.
He must be considered a promising talent at Shaolin, given that he placed runner-up at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering and was permitted to observe this sparring bout.
After a brief silence, I spoke.
"…If you wish, I could demonstrate it once more."
"…"
His expression twisted grotesquely, like a man who had been deceived in the most absurd way.
How unfair.
***
How long had it been since my goodwill—my refusal to be stingy with a Shaolin disciple over what I had learned at Shaolin—had been so thoroughly distorted and reduced to nothing more than a cheap trick?
Gak-myeong opened his eyes before the eyes of several of Shaolin's key figures, including the current abbot Jeonghyeon and the previous abbot Gakjeong, having occasionally emitted faint waves of energy throughout.
He had not reached the Harmony Realm. That was not a realm one could ascend to so easily, after all. Gak-myeong still remained at the Transcendent Peak, but his energy flow was unmistakably different.
He had leapt from someone who could be cut down if one set one's mind to it, to a level where one could barely cut him down only by exerting one's full strength.
After that, well… there was a bit of a commotion.
There was much talk about whether what I had newly learned was stolen Shaolin martial arts or not, but regardless, it had led Gak-myeong to enlightenment.
Only after I made them understand that it was a Mystery implemented in a way that merely resembled the original on the surface but was actually different in substance was I able to escape the controversy.
However, unfortunately, they asked me to sit out of the sparring bouts between the rising talents.
"I find myself missing the boldness of the Namgung Clan, who said to learn whatever one could learn if one could learn it anew."
"That's just the Namgung Clan being strange. The usual reaction is something like this. No, even now, it's only because it's Shaolin that they're being so generous."
"This is why the prestigious clans are the way they are."
"By now, you must be aware that young hero Cheon is also a member of one of those prestigious clans?"
"…Since you brought it up, shouldn't we be heading back to the Tang Clan soon?"
"Hmm. It's true that we've stayed for quite a while. We've built plenty of camaraderie through sparring, and it would be rude to leave young hero Cheon alone here by himself, so let's do that."
As we were chatting about when we'd return and what we'd ride back to the Tang Clan, a familiar figure appeared in the distance with a familiar presence.
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
As Tang So-wol and I tilted our heads at the strange sense of déjà vu, a middle-aged man in a green robe arrived before us in an instant, using his Lightness Skill.
Tang Jincheon spoke.
"It's been a while, So-wol. And son-in-law. What were you two talking about?"
"Well… we were just saying that we should be heading back to the Tang Clan soon."
"Ah. It seems the conversation you had nearly a month ago still hasn't come to an end. In the meantime, the Hwangbo Clan was wiped out, and the Namgung Clan—for whatever reason—sent a massive amount of Gold Coins and rare poisons as a token of gratitude, so I assumed everyone had already returned home by now."
"Uh, well."
"That's the thing, Father-in-law…"
"Ah. Come to think of it, I heard that Shaolin made an unprecedented exception by allowing a woman into their grounds, and not long after, one of their Vajra Guardians caused a stir by attaining Enlightenment. Doesn't a month feel like a long time when you put it that way? Yet it seems it still wasn't enough for you to make plans to return home."
"…"
"…"
Tang Jincheon's voice carried a great deal of accumulated weight. As I and Tang So-wol remained silent, he lightly patted our shoulders and spoke.
"Let's depart tomorrow. I brought the clan's carriage, so all you need to do is travel comfortably."
"Understood, Father-in-law."
"Yes, Father…"
The long journey through the martial world that began with the Dragon Phoenix Gathering came to an end with Tang Jincheon's arrival to escort us home.
A few months later, rumors about the Gwiyeong Sin-tu's secret vault spread, and a single treasure map arrived at the Tang Clan.