Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 30

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 30
Unam Peak, Yi Ma-je’s Dwelling.
‘Would it have worked if I’d responded that way?’
Kang Hyun stood with two wooden staffs in hand, reviewing the previous sparring match.
—Your flank is exposed!
—I told you to watch yourself first.
—Ugh!
‘It wouldn’t have worked.’
The Third Prince would have struck my wrist with his staff.
‘There’s literally no opening to exploit. How is this even possible?’
After training muscles with the Third Prince, we would spar. It was a martial contest without inner energy, so the movements felt awkward, but the results were undeniable.
In sparring where luck held no sway, my martial techniques had become remarkably refined. I could polish my skills to match my strengthened body.
—Today will be different from yesterday. I had an epiphany last night.
—You said the same thing yesterday. Come on.
—…Ugh! Ah, I think it’s because I ate such a hearty breakfast—I feel nauseous. Let’s count this as my loss and go again.
—It’s not a loss if you lost. How many times is this now? I stopped counting after twenty, so I’m a bit fuzzy on the number.
It was exactly the fifty-seventh time.
The number of times I’d fallen, risen, and challenged again.
Hating to lose, I’d persevered stubbornly and attacked, yet I’d never achieved victory even once.
What was unexpected was that I didn’t feel the slightest displeasure. Often, I felt refreshed instead.
Pouring everything into myself and losing. Reviewing, finding improvements, training, and challenging again.
I’d hit a wall again, but I confirmed the gap wasn’t as vast as before.
—Will the sun rise in the west today? What’s gotten into you?
As I felt this growth, the martial techniques that had seemed unsettling began to look different.
“I can do this too!”
It was when I cried out my aspirations with surging passion.
“You’ve finally lost your mind.”
“Huh?”
Cheon So-hyun had entered through the residence entrance.
“You’re back already?”
“Yeah, are you overexerting yourself again?”
Kang Hyun wiped the sweat from his face.
“Not overexertion, just normal. How’s your body? Are you alright?”
Cheon So-hyun brushed the dust from his clothes as he answered the concerned question.
“That beast—it’s just a snake at the end of the day. It was thrashing about so viciously I almost made it into snake stew, but I left it as is. It’ll recover after a few days of groaning.”
Kang Hyun chuckled and gave a thumbs up.
“Impressive. The sealing technique really helped, didn’t it?”
“Sounds like you’re being sarcastic?”
“Not at all.”
Cheon So-hyun smiled faintly and stepped into the Training Ground.
And as always, I saw Yi Ma-je at the same spot, shirtless and honing his swordsmanship with a wooden blade.
‘That fellow is truly relentless.’
He had ventured out to face such a formidable creature to fulfill the condition he himself had set, yet it seemed he harbored no concerns whatsoever.
‘This troubles me somewhat. First, let me eat….’
It was then that Yi Ma-je’s wooden blade, which had been flowing in an unbroken rhythm, suddenly froze suspended in the air.
Yi Ma-je lowered his wooden blade and turned his head.
“You’ve returned.”
Cheon So-hyun answered with a bewildered expression.
“Yes, I have returned.”
It was the first time I had witnessed such a sight during my stay at Yi Ma-je’s Dwelling. This stubborn man actually stopped his training?
“Your expression suggests you succeeded.”
“Well… I did manage to defeat Dokgak Wang, though it was quite the ordeal.”
Cheon So-hyun awkwardly scratched the back of his head, then retrieved something from his robes.
“This is… honestly, I’m not quite sure how to explain it.”
It was a plant, badly crushed and covered in so much dirt that it was mottled and discolored.
Only the faint white radiance emanating from it vaguely revealed its true nature.
In other words, it was the Solitary Herb.
“If I wash it thoroughly, roots and all, it should be fine, don’t you think?”
Yi Ma-je’s lips curved upward slightly.
“It must have been quite fierce. You’ve worked hard.”
* * *
I sat before the Dining Table. Yi Ma-je was across from me, and Kang Hyun had left to prepare the meal.
“There’s something I’d like to apologize for first.”
“Pardon? Suddenly?”
Yi Ma-je nodded.
“I deliberately imposed a harsh condition. I doubted your resolve. I apologize for that.”
It wasn’t entirely wrong. Defeating Dokgak Wang was indeed quite a risky gamble given my current physical state.
Yet I couldn’t help but be taken aback when this massive figure of Yi Ma-je readily acknowledged it and offered an apology.
It was an unexpected side of him.
Flustered, I spoke carelessly.
“Well, it was a reasonable condition. That Dokgak Wang creature looked terrifying on the surface, but it was nothing special.”
Yi Ma-je chuckled softly.
“Then I’m relieved.”
In truth, this was the first time I had exchanged words with Yi Ma-je since that first day.
After I resolved to dedicate myself to training, I learned Yi Ma-je’s external martial techniques by observation and mimicked them, while Yi Ma-je occasionally corrected my posture—that was all.
Yi Ma-je pushed a wooden box toward me.
“You already possessed the Solitary Herb.”
Then he asked in a grave tone.
“Why did you not choose the solution within your robes, and instead spend time and risk danger?”
It was a question asked with genuine sincerity, so I too needed to answer with equal sincerity.
I held Yi Ma-je’s gaze for a moment before speaking.
“Would it truly be persuasive if I simply presented something I happened to possess?”
“Hmm?”
“I understand that opposition from the Great Sect is no trivial matter. That’s why I concluded I needed to demonstrate what kind of person I am to have any real persuasive power. Since I’ve been training here as well, I can’t dismiss this time as entirely wasted.”
Yi Ma-je murmured softly, turning my words over in his mind.
“To demonstrate what kind of person you are, you say….”
Had my meaning truly gotten through to him?
There was no way to know yet.
Truthfully, I had once considered simply presenting the Solitary Herb that lay in the wooden box, thinking it a fine idea, but ultimately decided against it. It would hold no real meaning.
What comes easily is lost just as easily. As they say, the beginning is half the battle—gaining Yi Ma-je’s trust was more important than anything else.
Yi Ma-je’s lips curved upward in a long smile.
“That’s a sentiment I find most agreeable.”
He continued with evident satisfaction.
“In truth, those with talent or keen intellect are common enough within the Sect. But those with unwavering resolve are exceedingly rare. Your ambition is something that could never be attempted with a shallow spirit.”
“So you set those conditions to verify this, then.”
“Precisely.”
“Fortunately, it seems my determination wasn’t mere recklessness. Then I’ll ask directly—what have you thought of the Great Sect in recent times?”
“I haven’t given it much thought. Having sworn to become the Divine Sect’s blade, I held the position that I would respect its will regardless of which direction it flowed.”
A faint blue light flickered in Yi Ma-je’s eyes.
“But if the opportunity for choice is given, and the possibility of opposition arises, the matter becomes different. It would be right to devote my time to the problem before me. I cannot wield a dull blade bearing the title of Master while stepping forth into the world.”
“Ah… I see.”
It seemed Yi Ma-je had his reasons for maintaining his reclusive life.
‘A dull blade? What does he mean by that?’
I had often found myself captivated by his swordsmanship, so the notion of it being dull made no sense to me.
Perhaps he drove himself with such harshness that he perceived his own blade as inadequate? It was possible he had thrown himself into external cultivation with such intensity precisely because he believed his sword was dull.
“This problem you speak of—it’s related to martial arts, then?”
Yi Ma-je answered readily.
“It is. Like anyone else, I face a wall, and I continue training to overcome it.”
“Then opposing the Great Sect isn’t necessarily a bad thing, is it?”
“It isn’t.”
I felt the corners of my mouth twitch upward.
‘So that’s why the Chief Military Commander recommended him.’
If the Great Sect could be postponed, Yi Ma-je would gain time to resolve his own problems—a favorable situation indeed.
All my hardship had borne fruit.
“Do you intend to leave immediately, then?”
“I must. There’s still far to go.”
“What of your plans ahead? You don’t intend to persuade the senior members one by one like this, do you? It would be difficult to coordinate the timing.”
I shook my head.
“I have one capable ally who can help from the sidelines. I’ll go speak with them about the direction I’ve mapped out from here.”
“I see….”
After a brief silence, Yi Ma-je uttered an unexpected proposal.
“Then I shall meet with the other Elders of the Council and discuss this matter with them.”
“…!”
My shoulders tensed involuntarily at this unforeseen suggestion. He would actually converse with the other Elders?
Yi Ma-je continued matter-of-factly.
“While I cannot claim to have cultivated deep bonds with them, we share a connection forged over countless years together, so our conversation should bear fruit. I shall see if there are those whose intentions align with ours.”
I felt as though I had taken a tremendous stride toward my objective.
“That is most welcome news indeed. Ha! I am deeply grateful for your assistance.”
According to what Sa Ma-ryang had told me, the Elders of the Council were all likely to be eccentrics, making them difficult to approach.
They were formidable cultivators who had survived for ages in the brutal Demonic Martial World, so inevitably, each harbored some twisted nature.
For this reason, I had not dared attempt contact with anyone but Yi Ma-je, yet here everything was unfolding so smoothly?
‘Is this too the merit of my past life?’
I could think of no other explanation.
‘Indeed, it must be.’
At that moment, Kang Hyun appeared bearing a large tray.
“Please, enjoy your meal!”
Only then did a ravenous hunger surge through me. With my affairs proceeding so favorably, I began my final meal with a peaceful heart, eating as swiftly as a crab concealing its eyes.
* * *
I departed from Yi Ma-je’s Dwelling.
Standing before the Main Gate and surveying the Training Ground, I reflected that my handprints must now be etched upon those iron bars countless times over.
“Young Master.”
Kang Hyun appeared belatedly, carrying a bundle which he extended toward me.
“For your journey. I have packed only your favorites. It is all meat.”
“Excellent—I shall not go hungry on the road. My thanks.”
“When might you visit again? I had hoped we could train together more.”
“Hard to say. If my body grows restless, I shall return, but I suspect I shall lack the leisure for some time yet.”
Kang Hyun nodded with evident regret.
“I understand. I shall convey Master’s conversation with the Council through written correspondence. Should I send it to the address where you previously sent a letter?”
“Yes. Take care with the task.”
“Of course. I have learned much during this time. Travel safely, Master.”
Yi Ma-je, who had come to see me off, spoke briefly.
“Third Prince, do not falter in your steps. I beg you, never forget the resolve you carry now.”
“I shall remember. I take my leave.”
After watching Kang Hyun wave farewell, I departed from Cheon So-hyun’s Residence.
With the first button fastened correctly, my descent down the mountain felt light and swift.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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