Chapter 511: Give it to me just once.

The sun rose.

You could say it’s an obvious statement.

When it’s daytime, the sun should naturally be up; that’s normal, but…

That wasn’t the problem right now.

‘It’s the middle of the night right now….’

It’s the time when the sun has already set, and the moon should have taken its place.

That’s the way of the world, though.

What on earth is that?

No matter how much I look, it’s absurd. I tilted my head up and stared into the empty air.

A sun risen in the night.

Right now, the sun was brazenly floating in the sky.

Is that all?

‘It’s even affecting the sky.’

That sun was influencing the surrounding sky.

Where did the darkness that should have covered everything go? This area was intensely blue.

‘Is it a power similar to Red Sky (赤天)?’

A secret technique of the Gu family that imbues the sky with heat emanating from the body to boost power.

‘To be precise, it’s closer to a barrier.’

You might think Red Sky dyes the sky like its name suggests, but strictly speaking, it’s like establishing a domain.

It emits dense, hot energy, expanding its domain around it.

It’s just so vast and high that it only gives the impression the sky appears red.

So what about that thing?

‘…I don’t know?’

I don’t know.

Shit, I don’t know anything.

‘Is that even a martial art?’

The sun floating in the void.

I’m calling it the sun because it looks like one, but it’s probably not the actual sun.

It’s just floating there.

It’s just floating in the void, radiating immense heat.

Just that alone creates the illusion that the sky has brightened.

What kind of martial art is that?

‘It’s a martial art I don’t know.’

Since Father used it, it must be a Gu family martial art, but…

It was a martial art I was seeing for the first time.

A power I hadn’t even seen in the moment I fought Father in my previous life.

Let alone…

‘…In the first place, I’ve never even properly seen Father preparing for a fight.’

Father with his hair dyed red.

It’s a sight I’ve never seen before.

That means…

‘Even when fighting me in my previous life, Father wasn’t fighting at full strength.’

It was a bitter truth.

Even though it was something I already knew.

[Hoho.]

As I stared at the mini-sun, Shin Noy let out a hearty laugh.

[…That’s quite something.]

‘What are you talking about?’

[What does that look like to you?]

What does it look like?

‘The sun?’

It didn’t look like anything else.

[…Yes, that’s the normal way to see it.]

‘Then what else is it?’

A small, burning sphere.

What else should I call that, which is so bright it swallows even the surrounding darkness, if not the sun?

At least, no other word came to my mind.

That’s why I didn’t know what answer Shin Noy wanted.

[That is not the sun.]

‘I know that much myself.’

I’m calling it the sun, but I don’t think it’s the real sun.

It’s just because there’s no other name to give it.

‘Noy, do you know what that is then?’

A power of the Gu family that even I don’t know. Does Noy know Father’s abilities?

As I asked with doubt, Noy carefully began to speak.

[That is the manifestation of Simnyeom (心念 – mental focus/will).]

‘Huh?’

Simnyeom (心念).

It seemed like a random statement, but for a martial artist, it wasn’t such an unfamiliar word.

Sim (心 – heart/mind).

To a martial artist, the mindscape is like a mirror.

It’s about honing the body, filling the vessel with internal energy to achieve growth.

The body, repeatedly broken and regenerated, gradually strengthens.

The deeper the cultivation, the denser the mindscape naturally becomes.

Because a martial artist’s growth isn’t just physical, it’s also the growth of the mindscape.

The mindscape of a martial artist who has continuously grown like that eventually takes form.

I said, looking at the sun Father had created.

‘Are you saying that’s something like a Mind Sword (心劍)?’

The ultimate attainment of a Sword Master.

The supreme realm a sword master, trained to the limit, eventually reaches.

Not the peak or Hwagyeong (Peak Realm) reached as a martial artist, but the state of the mindscape reached solely as a sword master.

That was called the Unity of Body and Sword (身劍合一).

They say it’s a state where the body and sword become one.

If you had to pick the difference between ordinary sword masters and them…

‘Whether or not they can use the Mind Sword.’

Whether or not they can manifest an extremely cultivated mindscape.

That must be the difference between sword masters who have achieved the Unity of Body and Sword and those who haven’t.

Honestly, I didn’t know much about it.

If I had to pick someone around me who achieved the Unity of Body and Sword, it was only Sword Marquis.

I don’t know about Sword Demon (劍魔), but I probably think he didn’t reach it.

If that bastard had truly reached the Unity of Body and Sword, he would have been showing off much more.

Anyway, so…

‘That’s the power of the mindscape?’

That unbelievable power floating in the void, is it truly a manifestation of will?

From my perspective, it was a level I couldn’t comprehend no matter how I looked at it.

The principle of martial arts, which involves channeling internal energy into the body.

Isn’t that a power that seems far removed from that principle? A manifestation of will…

‘…Ha’

I had to stifle a hollow laugh at the sudden thought.

It was because, upon thinking about it, it was rather ridiculous.

‘A guy who hasn’t even reached the ultimate attainment talking about principles, what bullshit.’

Instead of mastering the family’s martial arts, raising my level using demonic arts, the sight of myself now seeking principles of martial arts or whatever felt suddenly laughable.

I knew it.

This was just a sensation born from feeling thirsty.

‘…The power of the mindscape.’

The thirst that arises upon facing such vast power.

Also, knowing it’s the same martial art, a faint hope that maybe I could unleash such power if I tried.

After rolling around so much and getting so old, am I acting like I’ve become a martial artist now?

I bit my lip to regain my composure.

‘This isn’t the time to chase after such romantic notions.’

The path is different.

The thought occurs that maybe, if I put in the effort over time, I might reach it someday, but…

That’s something I can only do when I literally have time.

I turned my gaze, which had been on the sun, back forward.

I knew now wasn’t the time to admire that.

‘Where did he go?’

Father, who suddenly threw down that bizarre thing and disappeared.

I searched around the Tang compound for a long time, wanting to find Father.

I spread my internal energy sensing widely, but I couldn’t feel anything.

My sensing ability, strengthened upon reaching Hwagyeong, was enough to envelop the Tang compound.

Although its influence isn’t high due to the presence of other strong martial artists,

it meant that finding where people were was simple.

But the fact that I couldn’t feel any presence at all…

‘Could it be because of that?’

Only then did I realize that sun floating in the void…

Was it not only radiating heat around it, but also blocking the spread of internal energy sensing?

I don’t know the principle, but if that’s really the case…

‘That’s an unbelievable power.’

No matter how I looked at it, it was a superior version of Red Sky. Not just deploying a domain to radiate heat,

But it felt like dominating the domain itself.

‘What should I do?’

If my sensing can’t spread, how should I find him?

‘…Damn it.’

I turned my head, but no viable idea came to mind.

Besides, I actually thought I didn’t necessarily need to find him.

Father isn’t the type to act recklessly, and he did say he’d be back soon(?), so…

If I didn’t want to get scolded, I should have just stayed put in my room, but…

For some reason, I felt like I had to find him.

‘Something.’

How should I put it?

Maybe Father’s eyes looked strange before he left.

That subtle difference bothered me, and I couldn’t just stand still.

‘…Ugh.’

Of course, even if I had followed him out, I didn’t have a method.

The problem started with losing Father in the first place.

‘I couldn’t follow him with my eyes.’

I couldn’t catch Father when he increased his speed.

It was to the point where he vanished right before my eyes.

‘It must be the same martial art… but the difference is this much….’

Huh?

As I was thinking, it suddenly occurred to me. A way to find Father right now.

Tuk.

After running around for a while, I stopped walking.

‘…The same martial art.’

The Gu family’s bloodline martial art, Gu-yeom Hwaryeong Gong (Nine Burning Wheel Technique).

It’s a martial art that converts internal energy into flames, displaying overwhelming explosive power.

The important point here is…

That Father and I use the same martial art.

As soon as I realized that, I released the Body Transformation Technique (Gi-che Byeon-yeok Sul).

Udududuk-!

My joints twisted rapidly, and pain surged, but I ignored it.

Or rather…

‘…It hurts a bit too much to ignore?’

Maybe it was because I suddenly enlarged my body, the pain was considerable, but I had to endure it.

As I released the Body Transformation Technique, the slight discomfort disappeared, and I felt refreshed.

Just like that.

Hwareureuk-!

I formed the rings of the Nine Burning Wheel Technique around my body and spun them rapidly.

The internal energy that started from my heart spread throughout my entire body.

The internal energy discharged through my body instantly became heat, and the heat soon transformed into flames, enveloping me.

They are clear blue flames.

Flames that can no longer return to their original red color.

A shitty feeling brushed past, but I ignored it and focused elsewhere.

If you were to differentiate between what are called sects and the family martial arts of noble houses, you could say it’s the number.

I mean, the number of people learning that martial art.

By that logic, it was natural for bloodline martial arts to be fewer.

Especially if you consider direct bloodlines within that group, it would be even fewer.

This is where a method arises.

Those using the same martial art tend to resonate, even if faintly.

The only members of the Gu family in Sichuan would likely be Father and me.

It would be even more so within the Tang compound, which is narrower.

Therefore.

I sought to find Father by igniting flames.

I intended to forcibly induce resonance.

Because then it would be easier to know his location.

Ah, of course.

‘This… is a method that won’t work if Father isn’t using his martial art, though.’

I judged that he would likely be using it based on my prediction.

It was just a hunch.

Thus, the rings of blue flame gradually increased their rotational speed and grew in size.

One ring stacked upon the rings.

Hwareureuk-!

As the heat intensified, another one stacked up not long after.

A total of three rings.

It was around the time when just maintaining them started consuming a lot of internal energy.

How much more should I expand them?

Perhaps, contrary to my expectations, he wasn’t using his power?

It should have been enough time to feel something already.

‘Is this not it?’

Just as I was about to recall my energy, thinking I might be doing something pointless…

Uuung…

“…”!

I felt it.

I felt a sense of my energy meshing and colliding with something.

I turned my head.

Dragging my flame-clad body, I launched myself forward.

The location wasn’t that far.

In fact, it was strange that I hadn’t found it until now.

My body, freed from the Body Transformation Technique, was fast, and reaching the location I sought took mere seconds.

Tak.

The moment I arrived at the place where I felt the resonance.

Uuung-!

“What’s this?”

Other sensations, including the resonance, brushed past my body.

I could quickly tell that it was the power of a formation (Jinbeop).

However.

‘…It feels somewhat… torn?’

Traces were visible in the space where the formation should originally have been deployed.

Should I call it the trace of someone forcibly tearing it apart?

‘…’

I wanted to believe it wasn’t, but I couldn’t help but know that this was a trace Father had made.

Because the heat still remained intensely there.

‘What are you really doing?’

Leaving aside why such a formation is here, why did Father head here?

First, I threw myself inside.

As I went a few steps inside,

“Huh?”

At the sight unfolding inside, I immediately widened my eyes.

It’s hot.

A heat incomparable to the warmth I felt just moments ago.

That filled the inside of the space, and at its center…

“What is this now….”

Along with traces of the ground and rocks melting, there was a deeply dug pit.

‘Rather than breaking through, it’s a trace of melting through.’

A tunnel dug by rapidly melting, not by digging.

The remaining flames around were definitely the Gu family’s flames.

That meant these flames belonged to Father.

“…”

A bad premonition arose.

There was no hesitation. I leaped slightly and threw myself into the pit.

Kkuuk-!

As I threw myself into the pit, my internal energy automatically rose to protect my body.

The trace (痕) of internal energy used to excavate this was so ferocious that my own energy instinctively protected my body.

It’s deep.

It was deep, but descending wasn’t difficult.

Tuk-!

After digging down rapidly for a few seconds, I passed through the passage and landed on the ground.

Immediately.

“…Hoo…”

Tension instantly rose in my body. Goosebumps prickled my spine, and cold sweat flowed.

It couldn’t be helped.

‘…What kind of killing intent (Tugi) is this?’

Within the unknown space, faint traces of malice, the heat filling the surroundings,

And along with that, killing intent was scattered chaotically everywhere.

Killing intent so dense and intense it was suffocating.

I slowly shifted my gaze.

It was to survey what kind of place this was.

“…”

The moment I looked around, I had to swallow dryly.

Traces of tearing and smashing were rampant everywhere, and the deep sword marks and the internal energy of martial artists that stimulated my instincts were utterly dreadful.

What on earth happened to create a space like this?

I was able to find out the reason not long after.

It was because I found it when I turned my head.

In the distance, leaning against the wall, I saw the First Elder of the Tang family gasping for breath.

One of his legs was missing, vanished somewhere, and the other ankle was already on the verge of being torn off.

That wasn’t something that could be fixed with treatment.

Whether he hadn’t fainted, his face was crushed by terror, with water flowing down from his eyes and nose.

Seeing that, I had to frown.

What is this horrific sight?

‘I haven’t done anything yet?’

I had intended to make him that way. To think he’d ended up in such a state while I wasn’t looking.

Wondering what kind of situation this was, I moved my gaze a little further.

I could see it there.

I saw it.

Father, standing far away.

Father stood with his hands behind his back, looking at something.

“Family Head…?”

Just as I was about to call out to Father while looking at that…

My vision expanded, and I identified someone standing before Father.

There was a figure, half-kneeling before Father, barely supporting himself with his sword.

“…Huh?”

Seeing him, I had to be taken aback.

The figure, panting as if exhausted, was surprisingly Cheon-jon.

Just as I wondered why this guy suddenly popped up here…

[Well now.]

Shin Noy suddenly spoke up.

[That brat gets beaten up everywhere, doesn’t he? Keke.]

“…”?

It was an incomprehensible statement.