Ch.238Chapter 238 – What Was Your Goal Again?

Serin Ekatos, who was dragged away by Cheonhyeryeong, realized one thing.

“This one shall make you stronger in a short period of time at your husband’s request. So endure it. If you endure, you will become stronger.”

That she was nothing but a frog in a well.

“And I will control my power just enough not to kill you, so survive on your own.”

And that beyond the sky, there was another sky.

The term “Cheonma,” which refers to the leader of the Cheonma Divine Sect, denotes someone so powerful that even if they claim to have the heavens beneath their feet, such words cannot be taken lightly.

Therefore, Cheonhyeryeong, the current Cheonma, was undisputedly the most powerful being in the Eastern Continent.

Moreover, the martial arts she knew encompassed various fields, from simple earth-absorption techniques to the Divine Cheonma Arts.

Thus, it was a distant dream for Serin to defeat the Cheonma.

“What are you doing? Even a beggar rolling around in the marketplace would be faster than you.”

“Urgh!”

Since the sparring began, Serin had been continuously dodging Cheonhyeryeong’s attacks.

In Serin’s hand was the famous sword Diamant.

And in Cheonhyeryeong’s hand was a mere twig broken off from a nearby tree.

If an arm-length sword were to clash with a twig barely a hand’s span long, anyone would expect the twig to lose.

However, the twig in Cheonhyeryeong’s hand was harder and sharper than any famous sword.

“When your self-acquired skill is not at the level of a master, what use is it to hold a famous sword in your hand?”

Each time Cheonhyeryeong’s twig and Serin’s Diamant collided, the sound of metal striking metal filled the quiet clearing halfway up the mountain.

Serin was desperately swinging her sword just to block Cheonhyeryeong’s attacks, while Cheonhyeryeong faced her with a very relaxed attitude.

“It seems you have no guts to attack this one. How do you expect to defeat your father like that?”

“……”

Despite Cheonhyeryeong occasionally asking questions while attacking, Serin remained focused solely on defending against the attacks.

‘Wait, shouldn’t she not attack so fast that I can’t even speak?’

Serin felt wronged.

Cheonhyeryeong was attacking at such a speed that Serin couldn’t even speak, let alone counterattack.

So how could she possibly answer her questions?

If she had no leisure to even respond, how could she possibly attack?

It was only because Serin had talent in swordsmanship and Diamant was a good sword that she was still alive; if her skills were even slightly inferior or the sword of lower quality, she would have already departed from this world.

But conversely, this meant that Cheonhyeryeong had accurately gauged her abilities.

Anyone can launch attacks that don’t harm the opponent.

Anyone can attack in a way that prevents counterattacks.

But to continuously unleash attacks that neither harm the opponent nor allow for counterattacks requires a level of skill that most cannot even attempt.

That’s why Cheonhyeryeong was the Cheonma—the strongest in the Eastern Continent.

Her self-proclamation as the greatest of all time, the greatest under heaven, was no lie.

After about an hour of relentlessly attacking and pushing Serin back, Cheonhyeryeong stopped.

“Just now, this one faced you with the skill of a swordsman who has reached the level called Sword Master in this continent.”

“Huff, huff……”

Having spent the entire hour just defending against attacks, Serin was so exhausted that she couldn’t hear Cheonhyeryeong’s words.

“Tsk. Rest a moment and listen to this one’s explanation. Anyway, you can withstand the attacks of someone at the Sword Master level, but you lack the skill to deflect them and counterattack.”

“…That’s correct.”

Serin bit her lip at Cheonhyeryeong’s assessment.

Despite her hard work, her swordsmanship was still at the Sword Expert level.

“Well, this one can see why you are stagnating.”

“Is that true?”

“What do you take this one for? This one is the Cheonma. The reincarnation of Cheonma, the subjugator of all demons. The greatest of all time and the greatest under heaven is none other than this one.”

When Serin doubted her, Cheonhyeryeong began to reveal a bit of her nature as the Cheonma, which she had been suppressing.

She usually kept it hidden as there was no need to display it, but now she needed to firmly imprint on Serin who she was.

The difference between someone with authority saying something and someone without it is vast.

“In this one’s view, the reason you are still at the peak level is because of your mindset.”

“My mindset?”

“Yes. Why do you practice swordsmanship? For what purpose do you train and hone your skills?”

Serin pondered Cheonhyeryeong’s question deeply.

But no matter how much she thought, she couldn’t clearly recall why she had started practicing swordsmanship.

Vaguely, she remembered that as a child, she had thought her father looked cool wielding a sword, so she had followed in his footsteps.

“Just… when I was young, I thought my father looked cool wielding a sword, so I learned to be like him…?”

“I see. Then, what is your reason for practicing swordsmanship now?”

“Now……”

Serin was at a loss for words at Cheonhyeryeong’s question.

Now? What was her reason for practicing swordsmanship now?

Was it just a vague desire to wander the world?

Or was it to be recognized as a swordswoman?

“I… don’t know. I don’t know why I’m practicing swordsmanship anymore.”

“That’s precisely it. A person who practices martial arts—we call such a person a warrior. Traditionally, a warrior practices martial arts to achieve their own purpose. Some train to defeat a sworn enemy and achieve revenge. Others train to protect their loved ones from the world’s hardships. And some train to reach what they consider the ultimate state.”

“Ah……”

Listening to Cheonhyeryeong’s examples, Serin realized what she was lacking.

She had no clear goal.

“This one rose to this position with the determination to become the Cheonma, the leader of the Cheonma Divine Sect. It took several decades, but eventually, this one ascended to the position of the greatest under heaven.”

“Several… decades……”

Serin was somewhat surprised by Cheonhyeryeong’s words.

Judging by appearance, she looked only slightly older than Serin, but in reality, she was born decades earlier and had trained for much longer.

Of course, her youthful appearance was understandable.

Even Regina Blasteria, who appeared to have lived for at least 100 years, looked like she was in her late 20s to early 30s.

“This one trained for decades with a single purpose in mind. But what goal do you have now?”

“……”

Serin remained silent at Cheonhyeryeong’s question. Because right now, she had no goal.

“That’s exactly it. You have no goal. No objective you wish to achieve or desire to fulfill.”

“Then… what should I do?”

“What a bland question. Set a goal, of course. If you have no goal, then establish one.”

“And what should I do after achieving that goal?”

Cheonhyeryeong smiled at Serin’s question.

Such questions were always asked by those setting goals, and she herself had once pondered the same.

“Set a new goal. This one achieved the goal of becoming the greatest under heaven. And now, this one has another goal.”

“Another goal?”

“Yes. This one is striving to become a worthy second wife for my husband. That is the new goal this one has set.”

Hearing Cheonhyeryeong’s words, Serin felt as if shackles that had been binding her were released, freeing her from a sense of confinement.

Even someone who had attained the greatest martial power was always moving forward with new goals, so shouldn’t she do the same?

“Cheonma, I request your guidance.”

“Oh? It seems you’ve realized something.”

“Yes.”

Serin now had a goal.

To reach the level of Sword Master, claim the position of family head, and end the unnecessary conflicts within her family.

“Hohoho. Then from now on, we shall begin special training to help you transcend your current level. Don’t worry about time. This space flows faster than the outside world through a formation I created.”

She added by way of explanation:

“A day here is merely a minute outside. So, I hope you will take much from this one through our training, swordswoman.”

With those words, the special training between Cheonhyeryeong and Serin began in earnest.