Chapter 937: So in the end.

“…”

It was an unfamiliar ceiling.

That was the first impression I had the moment I opened my eyes.

No, it was a ceiling I had definitely seen somewhere before, but it would be more accurate to say it wasn’t very familiar.

Perhaps it was the ceiling of the quarters I was staying in.

It must be the space prepared behind Shin No-ya. I rarely came here, so it was a place I didn’t know well.

‘Well, I’d have to have come here to sleep.’

After coming to the Mount Hua Sect created by Shin No-ya, I hadn’t slept here.

It felt like I hadn’t slept at all, not just in this lodging.

I was always doing something or tidying up, so I never had time to sleep.

It wasn’t like my body would break just from skipping a bit of sleep, so I just stayed up and did various things.

And living like that, I had no reason to look at my quarters. That’s why the ceiling felt unfamiliar.

The ceiling is the ceiling, let’s get my body up for now.

Thinking that, I placed my hands on the floor.

Udeudeudeuk-!

“…!!!”

The pain felt throughout my entire body made me almost scream involuntarily.

“Ggeok….”

I managed to hold it in and let out a groan.

Because the pain was considerable enough that I couldn’t just hold it all in.

I stayed still like that for a long time, my body stiff.

My body wouldn’t obey and trembled uncontrollably.

Just as the trembling finally stopped.

“Hoo….”

I let out a sigh, drenched in cold sweat.

“What the…?”

The pain was unbelievably absurd.

What is this?

Not just my insides, but my left arm especially hurt like crazy.

I wondered why it was suddenly like this, but then…

‘…Ah.’

I recalled what happened before I lost consciousness and figured out the reason.

“Is it that.”

The time I somehow managed to weave together the inner energy techniques at the end.

I had used power by utilizing the friction and pressure generated within.

I had somehow, barely, managed to unleash a single punch.

And then….

‘Did I collapse from exhaustion?’

My body just went limp, and I passed out.

‘Just one time, though.’

At best, one punch. No, I couldn’t even properly throw it.

My stance wasn’t even right. I had just swung my fist sloppily.

And yet.

‘Even with that much.’

The result of that insignificant punch was beyond my imagination.

I thought it might be the most destructive of all the martial arts I could perform.

The thought naturally occurred to me.

It was perhaps natural.

‘Because I combined everything.’

The firepower of the Nine Flames Wheel Technique and the compression and explosive power of the Two Eagles Splitting Heaven Dance.

Along with the power of the mindscape I gained through training.

And even the threads of sorcery to weave it all together.

It was the result of pouring out everything I could do.

Simply using the Nine Flames Wheel Technique alone wouldn’t easily produce such destructive power.

And the Two Eagles Splitting Heaven Dance couldn’t generate widespread firepower.

But since I mixed and released them, perhaps it was natural for such a form to emerge.

“Ggeueu….”

Swallowing my groans, I examined my body again.

I didn’t know how long I had been unconscious, but looking at my condition, it was quite a sight.

I could feel my internal energy roughly recovering, but it was only about half full. All the meridians inside my body were swollen.

And what about my joints?

‘They weren’t broken, but they were almost shattered.’

How long has it been since my body was this wrecked in a fight?

Even though my body regenerates shortly after being pierced through the stomach.

A fight, or rather, not even a proper fight, just one punch, and my body ends up like this?

‘Ummm….’

For now, I can’t use it in actual combat.

I was certain of that.

The casting time is ridiculous right now, and the completion level is nowhere near.

If Shin No-ya hadn’t waited for me to use the technique, my neck would probably have been severed long ago.

Just gathering and maintaining the energy in one place caused such intense pain.

And for my body to end up in this state after unleashing it…

Ultimately, it meant I had to use it with the mindset of ‘life or death’.

Meaning it’s completely impractical in real combat.

And yet.

“…Haha….”

I couldn’t hold back the laughter that escaped.

“See? I was right?”

I was right.

Even though my body was shattered and my energy was completely depleted.

‘I succeeded in the end.’

I managed to use it somehow.

I felt exhilaration from that.

That what I wanted to do wasn’t wrong.

And that the result I created was good.

‘Should I call this good?’

I wasn’t sure if I should just call this good, but I thought it was good.

The destructive power was good, even if it was proportional to the energy used and my physical state.

‘Better than I expected.’

I had wondered how amazing it would be if this succeeded.

I had imagined it before.

It was a higher level than that.

‘I forced myself to use something unusable in the first place. It should at least produce this much.’

It’s something I can’t do, and shouldn’t do.

What kind of idiot would think of mixing two inner energy techniques?

In the first place, an ordinary body couldn’t even contain two inner energy techniques, let alone…

‘Even if it could contain them, the body wouldn’t withstand using both together.’

I knew this not from this success, but from the very first attempt.

‘…An ordinary body can’t withstand it.’

My body, strengthened through shedding layers, could withstand it, but my previous life’s body would have exploded without lasting even a moment.

Even though I wondered why I had to use something like that so desperately.

‘Because the friction that comes from it is power.’

Martial arts are ultimately the power of friction and pressure generated by a body containing energy as it moves.

I referenced this from Lord Pei’s ability to create immense storms with short, concise movements.

What are martial arts?

Some say it’s about embodying conviction in one’s body and expressing that conviction through energy.

‘What kind of bullshit is that?’

It’s talk I can’t understand.

Martial arts are a power born to beat and break someone.

So, rather than focusing on trivial martial arts enlightenment.

I thought it was right to figure out how to efficiently incorporate it into the body.

‘Martial arts are the friction, pressure, rotation, and emission of energy.’

So, if you friction harder, apply more pressure, rotate stronger, and emit it…

Isn’t that ultimately the end of it?

That’s how I judged the strength of martial arts.

Then, where should I draw greater friction and pressure from?

Drawing from the mindscape I possessed was one method, but I believed there was another way.

And that was.

‘Collision.’

Colliding energy with energy internally.

Wouldn’t it be possible to use the friction and pressure generated from that?

If I could withstand, maintain, and ultimately emit it, wouldn’t it become immense power?

I had such thoughts.

If so, this is something only I can do.

Generating power by making different inner energy techniques collide.

No one in the Central Plains can do it; only I can.

I was fixated on that.

Could I do it?

The chance to succeed where no one else could, only for me.

For some reason, I was fixated on that.

After succeeding in this, the exhilaration I felt now surpassed my expectations.

‘Though it’s almost laughable to call it success.’

Power that cannot be used in actual combat is ultimately the same as failure.

However, I felt a satisfaction that wasn’t quite satisfaction, having ultimately used it.

Even though my body became a mess after just one use.

“…Hoooeuuu….”

Suppressing my groans, I managed to sit up.

It hurt, but I could endure it.

Let’s go out for now. As I thought that and tried to get up from the bed.

Mallang.

“…?”

Something was caught in the hand I placed on the floor.

It didn’t feel like fabric.

What’s so soft?

I lowered my gaze.

“…”

Then, my eyes met with the person lying down and looking at me.

It was Cheonma.

She was lying next to my bed, looking at me.

And I was touching her chest.

A few seconds passed as our eyes met.

“Hello.”

Cheonma greeted me calmly.

“Wuak, fuck–!”

I let out a shriek and had to fall off the bed.

---

After screaming my lungs out like that, a moment later.

“…What’s with that expression?”

That’s what Shin No-ya said the moment he saw me come outside.

At his words, I scrunched up my face and replied.

“…What kind of expression do I have?”

“You look like you just ate bug droppings.”

“…”

As I scrunched my face further without answering, Noyang’s expression changed strangely.

“Looks like something happened during the long night?”

This old geezer?

“Nothing happened.”

I said, sighing.

Even if something happened, what could have happened?

‘It’s not a lie.’

At least, not during the night.

Though something shitty happened during the day.

“Hmm…. Is that so?”

“It really didn’t, so please stop giving me that weird look.”

At my words, Noyang chuckled.

I was dumbfounded.

“What on earth…?”

Looking at Noyang, I finally had to ask what I didn’t want to.

“What do you mean?”

“…Why was she lying next to me?”

At my words, Noyang’s eyes widened.

“What? You slept together?”

He said it as if surprised, but hearing that made my brow furrow in a way that crumpled paper.

“Stop joking around…”

Noyang’s expression was overly artificial. It meant he knew everything anyway.

“Tsk.”

As if displeased that I noticed, Noyang clicked his tongue briefly.

“How boring.”

“Is this the time for such jokes?”

“So what if I do? Didn’t you just say nothing happened?”

“…”

I didn’t know where to even begin.

My head just hurt a little.

‘Ah, damn it.’

The scene from earlier wouldn’t leave my mind.

Of all things, her being there. And making eye contact with that Cheonma.

And.

“…”

Kkuuk.

The lingering sensation there kept bothering me.

I had to try hard not to pay attention to my hand.

Shin No-ya, watching me like that, spoke to me with a somewhat pitiful look.

“Youngster.”

“…Yes.”

“The moment you collapsed yesterday, that girl helped you up.”

“…”

“Don’t you remember?”

I remembered. How could I not? The last thing I saw as I collapsed were Cheonma’s eyes and her touch.

“And when she helped you up and disappeared, I wondered where she went. Looks like she went right over there.”

“Wait, you didn’t stop her…?”

“Stop her? What do you mean, stop her?”

At Shin No-ya’s words, I was too dumbfounded to even speak.

“I was too busy dealing with your antics to stop her.”

Noyang pointed somewhere with his hand, as if frustrated.

“Do you know how hard it was to restore that place back to normal too?”

I looked towards the tip of Noyang’s finger.

“…Huh?”

Seeing that, my eyes widened.

I saw a field with nothing in it. It was clearly the place that had been turned into a mess yesterday.

The power I unleashed was so strong it had swept through a vast area.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of it visible.

“…What… How?”

How could they have restored that mess like this in just one day?

Perhaps more than a day had passed? As I pondered in confusion…

“That Kkureung or whatever put in some effort.”

Noyang explained.

‘Kkureung?’

That black guy called the master of Mujeogaeng.

The explanation was that he had used his power to restore the place.

“It was amusing to see him struggle for the first time in a while.”

Noyang chuckled.

He had a smug look on his face. I didn’t quite like that.

“…By the way, Noyang.”

So I said it with the intention of teasing Noyang.

“Your sword… you finally drew it, didn’t you?”

“…”

At my words, Noyang fell silent.

“You said you wouldn’t even draw your sword for antics. But you drew it quite well in the end.”

He had sworn he wouldn’t draw it, but Noyang had drawn his sword in the end.

I tried to say it teasingly, but…

“Indeed.”

Noyang gave a reaction different from what I expected.

“He made me draw my sword. Truly a strange thing.”

Noyang’s quiet follow-up words made me pause for a moment.

His eyes, devoid of laughter, were serious.

“So I ask you, youngster.”

“…Yes?”

“What exactly did you create?”

“…”

What in the world did you create?

Noyang’s eyes held questions, a hint of curiosity, and an unidentifiable emotion.

“…Why? It looked a bit strange even to you, Noyang.”

“It was strange. What kind of lunatic would use something like that?”

Noyang reacted as if asking the obvious.

As expected, he seemed to have figured out how I expressed my power.

“I called you crazy, but I never thought you’d actually do something crazy. Don’t you have any brains?”

Hearing his scolding tone, I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.

“…Doesn’t it seem like it turned out well, in its own way?”

“Yes, it’s fortunate it turned out well. What if it hadn’t?”

“I planned to think about that when the time came.”

“Hmph.”

At my reckless words, Noyang let out a huff.

“Are you serious right now…”

As if genuinely angry, just as Noyang was about to lecture me…

“…”

Suddenly, Shin No-ya stopped talking.

What was it? Waiting for him to continue, I looked at him with a puzzled expression.

A brief moment passed.

“Hoo….”

Noyang let out a deep sigh, as if exasperated.

And then.

“…Fine.”

He shook his head, seemingly giving up.

“Since it’s fine… tell me its name.”

“Huh?”

What name, all of a sudden? I couldn’t understand his abrupt question.

“Didn’t you just say you created something? But you haven’t even named it yet?”

“Ah.”

I wondered what he meant.

“…I didn’t really think about it or anything.”

I understood what Noyang meant, but I didn’t know why he was suddenly bringing up naming it here.

“Then, try naming it now. Since you’ve decided to do it, at least give it a name before you do.”

“…”

Only after hearing that could I fully understand Noyang’s words.

He meant, ‘Since you’ve decided to do it, do it properly.’

He was telling me to at least give it a name for that purpose.

In other words.

‘He’s respecting my choice.’

It seemed like Noyang’s rough way of acknowledging something.

“…A name… a name.”

But why name it all of a sudden?

It’s power I can’t even use in actual combat yet.

Moreover.

‘I don’t intend to use it bare-handed.’

It was power I’d use only when pretending to be Cheonma, if possible.

Because using the Nine Flames Wheel Technique or the Two Eagles Splitting Heaven Dance, even mixed with demonic energy, would be noticeable, I planned to use this instead.

‘Then… since it’s Cheonma…’

Wouldn’t it be possible to create it linked with Cheonma?

I tried using all sorts of words.

I racked my brain for a long time, but in the end, the only name that came to mind was the one I thought of from the beginning.

So, in the end.

“…Cheonma Divine Technique (天魔神功)?”

“…”

I uttered the name I had thought of from the beginning.

Upon hearing it, Shin No-ya’s face instantly soured.

Why?

I thought it sounded pretty cool…?

Or maybe not…?