Chapter 604: Heart Fist (Heart Fist)

Hwarureuk.

Above the massive hole carved into the iceberg, heat haze was rising.

Blue flames flickered, dancing in the wind.

The heat and smoke emanating from it mingled with the blizzard, announcing its presence.

It was an overwhelming sight.

It wasn’t Mount Tai, but the sight of the mountain’s upper half blown away in a single blow was indescribable.

And then.

“Crazy.”

I, who had created that spectacle, stared at the iceberg with a thoroughly flustered expression.

“What is that?”

A single, casually swung fist had resulted in that mess.

I urgently checked my hand.

There was no problem with my hand.

Meaning, despite emitting such energy, no trace remained.

‘What the hell is this….’

I couldn’t understand it.

What was that blow just now?

Was it really me who did that?

I didn’t have any energy, nor was I in a proper stance to attack.

It was just an attack swung wildly in a desperate attempt to survive.

‘…To create such a sight.’

It’s not impossible.

If I gathered all the internal energy in my body and unleashed it at a single point, I could create that level of destructive power, but…

‘I didn’t even use internal energy just now.’

That was truly a power used with just a handful of internal energy.

What the hell is this supposed to be….

“…!”

Whoosh-!

Just as I was trying to grasp the situation, my legs suddenly gave out, and I collapsed.

I managed to regain my balance and avoid falling completely.

Biiiiii-!

This time, I even heard tinnitus ringing in my ears.

Woong woong woong—!!

I could even feel an unknown vibration within my body.

“Hah… Hah… Hah….”

My breathing became ragged, and I felt nauseous.

How should I even describe this?

It felt like the strength supporting my body, and even the vessel within, had been shaken to their core.

I was dizzy to the point of madness.

Drip drip.

My nose started bleeding.

My nose was already bleeding from being hit.

Now, it started flowing down profusely.

Thump.

It was hard to stand, so I braced myself with one hand on the ground.

Blood dripped onto the snow.

My body felt like it was severely malfunctioning somewhere.

As I felt this, I tried to somehow regain my breath.

“…Hoho…”

I heard the voice of the Martial Lord (Pae-jon) in front of me.

It was a sound of hollow laughter.

“This is absurd.”

It wasn’t a situation where I could answer. Meanwhile, I felt a slight unease.

Surely, he wouldn’t beat me further in this state?

That was quite unsettling.

If he had taken that directly, even the Martial Lord might not have known what would happen.

Right after swinging my fist.

I could see everything because I had activated my Mind’s Eye right up until the moment the energy erupted.

The lines visible to the Martial Lord were all consumed and faded by the energy I emitted.

It meant that, aside from dodging, the Martial Lord had no way to counter it.

It felt like I had truly passed a deathly trial.

I was somewhat worried that the Martial Lord, angered by this, might retaliate against me, but…

“I don’t know whether to praise you or curse you. It’s making me ponder.”

Fortunately, it seemed he had no intention of hitting me further.

The Martial Lord approached me.

“In all my life, I’ve never seen someone try to strike their master and end up gaining enlightenment.”

Enlightenment?

I tried to lift my head, wondering what he meant.

“Stay still. If you move incorrectly there, you’ll die.”

Heeding the warning, I stiffened my body obediently.

“Focus only on your breathing. Your soul (Hon) has been shaken to its core. If you act rashly, your vessel will break.”

As he explained, the Martial Lord placed his hand on my back.

Whoosh-!

Starting from the Martial Lord’s palm, the chaotic energy within me gradually began to regain its flow.

“I always said you were talented, but I never knew you were this talented.”

Even while doing this, the Martial Lord continued to speak.

He was helping me regulate my energy.

If either of us faltered even slightly, we could both fall into demonic cultivation.

Therefore, the standard procedure would be to focus on breathing, let alone speaking, but…

The Martial Lord didn’t seem to care about that.

Rather.

“How does it feel?”

He sounded somewhat amused.

Even though he had just beaten me thoroughly.

‘Feelings.’

What kind of feelings was he asking about?

“I mean, how does it feel to have set foot in the realm of the Mindscape (Simsang).”

“…!”

My eyes widened at the Martial Lord’s words.

My energy wavered due to surprise, but the Martial Lord effortlessly stabilized and regulated it.

‘Mindscape?’

I had heard of it.

The realm of Mindscape (Simsang).

A place similar to, yet different from, the realm martial artists reach through practicing and cultivating martial arts.

A state where one refines their soul and builds and expresses form based on the martial artist’s body.

Swordsmen call it the state of Body-Sword Unity (Sin-geom-hap-il).

It is said to be the realm where the absolute power known as Mind-Sword (Sim-geom) can finally be wielded.

Furthermore.

‘The realm where I can properly use the Fire Wheel Star (Hwarunseong).’

The power of the Nine Families that can only be used upon entering the Mindscape.

It was the state where I could use the true Fire Wheel Star, not the half-baked version I was using.

Which meant…

‘…Have I reached that place?’

I couldn’t easily believe it.

How could I possibly have reached it so suddenly?

Just then.

“As I said before. You haven’t crossed over, you’ve merely brushed against it.”

The Martial Lord seemed to sense my thoughts and added an explanation.

“It’s a shame you haven’t fully crossed over, but… merely brushing against it is a great feat in itself.”

If even the stingy Martial Lord praised it as great, it must have been an extraordinary event.

‘Then, the power I just used….’

The power that blew away the upper half of the iceberg in one blow. Was that the power of the Mindscape?

Since I didn’t use a sword, it wasn’t Mind-Sword.

Should I call it Heart Fist (Sim-gwon)?

‘Certainly….’

Thinking about it that way, I understood why the Martial Lord asked how it felt.

It was truly a peculiar sensation.

Energy wasn’t the main component in performing the action.

Not the dantian, but the area inside the heart.

No, it was a location I couldn’t pinpoint, not even inside.

Right after extending my fist, I felt something leave from that place.

It felt like something was being ripped out entirely.

Afterwards, an intense emptiness followed, and soon after, my body lost its balance.

That was the sensation.

“That’s essentially how using one’s soul works.”

“Hoo…”

My shaky breathing had mostly returned.

“When the vessel called ‘I’ becomes complete, and the conviction I wish to pursue is fully established. Only then does the soul gain form and construct its realm.”

It’s difficult.

Both the words and their meaning.

Just listening, I couldn’t understand it at all.

“The Mindscape is essentially using the path I’ve walked thus far as power.”

Not only my breathing but also my energy gradually began to stabilize.

“With shallow enlightenment and paths, one can’t even glimpse it, let alone reach it, but…”

The Martial Lord’s hand slowly lifted from my back.

Only then could I lift my head, which had been looking only at the ground.

“Since you succeeded in brushing against it, you could say you’ve achieved half of it.”

“…Ah…”

I slowly tried to speak.

Fortunately, it seemed there was no problem producing sound.

“So, are you saying that what I just used was a power like Mind-Sword (Sim-geom)?”

“Well…”

“What?”

‘Well…’?

Just as I was taken aback by the unexpected answer.

The Martial Lord continued, smiling.

“How does it seem to you?”

“…I’m asking because I don’t really know myself?”

“Then, seek the answer until you truly realize it.”

“That’s…”

“Disciple. Do you know why Mind-Sword is called Mind-Sword?”

I had to frown at the question.

How would I know that? I only just learned about the Mindscape.

“Swordsmen live their entire lives carrying a sword. Therefore, when they enter the realm, the first thing they construct is the sword.”

The soul takes the form of a sword.

That’s why it’s Mind-Sword.

“Because the shape of the path they’ve lived is a sword. They themselves are convinced that the form of their soul is that of a sword. That’s why it’s Mind-Sword.”

“That means…”

“The form and meaning of the power you expressed. It means you must discover it yourself, not ask anyone else.”

“…”

The form of the soul shaped by one’s life.

The shape of the Mindscape confirmed by oneself.

What was it that manifested from the tip of my fist just now?

I don’t know.

I couldn’t be sure of anything.

‘I.’

The form of the soul created within my body.

What form does it truly take?

Can I just call it Heart Fist simply because I unleashed it with my fist?

Such thoughts crossed my mind, but…

‘…It’s too difficult, so let’s just call it Heart Fist for now.’

That was the best I could do right now. As I was concluding that.

“If there’s something that puzzles me a bit…”

I had to listen to the Martial Lord’s words.

Puzzling?

“It’s that you haven’t reached the necessary readiness.”

“What? I’m not ready?”

“The completion of your vessel, the framework, seemed roughly done. But I thought it was too early to teach you the Mindscape, as reaching it would be too much. So, it’s somewhat puzzling that you’ve stepped into it alone.”

“…”

My physical conditions were met, but…

It meant that due to a lack of enlightenment, reaching the Mindscape was deemed impossible.

‘…He was even planning to teach me.’

I didn’t know how he intended to teach this unknown realm, but…

Knowing what a monster the Martial Lord was, I decided to overlook this as a point of confusion.

Anyway.

It meant that in the Martial Lord’s view, I wasn’t even at a level worth looking at yet.

It seemed strange to the Martial Lord that I could even brush against it, even partially, in such a situation.

‘That puzzles me too.’

It’s good that I seem to have gotten stronger somehow, but…

It was strange that I reached it now, in a state inferior to my previous life, something I couldn’t do back then.

He said the establishment of conviction is important for creating the Mindscape.

‘Conviction…’

I was still standing there, unable to find my footing.

Despite being in a position where I couldn’t be sure of anything.

It couldn’t possibly have happened.

Which means…

‘Could it be….’

I recalled the conversation I had with Blood Qi (Hyeolgi) just before.

That guy who suddenly appeared and spoke to me.

He definitely told me this.

[I’ll help you.]

He said he’d help.

Saying he’d help this time because I got caught up in a troublesome situation.

Could that possibly be the cause?

Could that be the reason I could suddenly use Heart Fist?

‘But it’s hard to say no….’

I had nothing else to recall.

The burning heat I felt then, and Blood Qi’s smile as he looked at me.

Everything bothered me and caught my attention.

[We are ‘Dragons’.]

Even those damn words I heard last.

“…”

Thinking that I obtained this power with his help made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

As I remained silent for a moment, lost in thought.

The Martial Lord, watching me quietly, spoke.

“Seeing you like this, it seems something is bothering you.”

He seemed to have noticed something from my disheveled expression.

It was truly a shame I wasn’t wearing my mask right now.

“It’s nothing.”

I tried my best to pretend it wasn’t, but the Martial Lord just chuckled upon hearing my words.

It felt like he was saying, ‘Yeah, right.’

Well, whatever the case, it’s fortunate I touched the Mindscape.

Should I think of it that way?

‘It’s not like I have the luxury to pick and choose right now.’

I must use any means necessary.

I had definitely resolved myself to that, yet…

Even so, the unease didn’t disappear.

‘Think positively.’

I got stronger.

Whatever the case, I broke through another realm.

I gained a power comparable to my previous life.

I had to be satisfied with that.

I slowly got up.

‘First, I need to properly figure out what this is.’

Exactly how to use it.

How much power it contains.

And how much I can use.

Figuring this out was the priority-

Thump-!

“Gack.”

My knees, which I was barely trying to straighten, buckled again.

Pfft.

Then, blood spurted from my mouth.

The amount was different from the blood flowing from my nose earlier.

What the hell? Why is this happening now?

‘Didn’t the Martial Lord help me regulate my energy?’

I tried to cover my mouth, but blood kept flowing through my fingers.

“Ah.”

The Martial Lord uttered a single exclamation upon seeing me like this.

“It seems I couldn’t catch the backlash. Hoho.”

“What… do you mean…”

I couldn’t finish asking my question.

Thump-! Thump thump-!

Because I felt immense pain accompanied by vibrations inside my body.

I immediately clutched my chest and trembled uncontrollably.

It hurt like hell.

“I did regulate your energy to prevent your body from exploding, but I couldn’t handle the backlash from using power beyond your station.”

Although I heard incredibly harsh words, that wasn’t the time to pay attention.

Thump-!

The pain surged up to my head.

This was beyond enduring.

It felt like an earthquake was happening inside me.

Just then.

[Young Master-!!]

Beyond my fading consciousness, I heard Tang Soyeol’s voice rushing towards me.

I didn’t want her to see me in such a pathetic state, but I had no way to endure it.

The Martial Lord, watching me quietly, spoke.

“Just sleep for a bit and wake up.”

Just as I wondered if he meant for me to faint.

“You’ll feel a bit better then.”

And with those words.

Paak-!

Feeling a sensation on the back of my neck, I immediately lost consciousness.

Time passed.

When I finally regained consciousness and opened my eyes again, I was greeted by.

“Oh my.”

A woman’s somewhat familiar voice, and

A strange ceiling I’d never seen before.

And then.

“Are you awake?”

Baek Ryeon-geom’s face, pinching both my cheeks.