Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 10

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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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Episode 10
A little past midday after Hyeon Do’s departure.
Cheon Hui, who had been watching the sun begin its slow descent, suddenly leaped onto a large boulder beside Mo Ok and settled into a cross-legged sitting position.
‘I should accumulate some energy.’
He entered the Qi Circulation and Breathing method.
He then exhaled deeply and repeated the breathing pattern, slowly observing the interior of his body.
Gradually, he began the Great Heavenly Circulation.
A fingernail-sized amount of Internal Energy began circulating through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, merging with the Qi that entered through his mouth and nose, accumulating layer upon layer.
After a quarter hour, he completed the Great Heavenly Circulation.
‘How much has accumulated?’
He observed his Lower Dantian with the Mind’s Eye.
In his pristine Lower Dantian, a speck’s worth of Internal Energy had gathered firmly, establishing its foundation—but the amount accumulated was so meager compared to before the Qi Circulation and Breathing that one wouldn’t notice without careful examination.
‘Even with the Great Heavenly Circulation, this is all? To reach even the bare minimum amount of Internal Energy I have in mind, it’ll take over a decade.’
His brow furrowed at the glacial pace of energy accumulation.
Was it because the Plum Blossom Energy Technique was a foundational practice learned before ascending to higher Mental Methods?
Thanks to it, he could safely perform Qi Circulation and Breathing and build pure Internal Energy, yet the limitations were glaringly apparent.
It was only the Plum Blossom Energy Technique, which only true disciples could learn—not the Six Unification Technique that external disciples practiced—so this meager accumulation was what he got.
‘If it were the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique, I’d have accumulated ten times this amount.’
Recalling the effectiveness of the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique he had once practiced, he shook his head slowly.
In terms of energy accumulation, there was no Mental Method under heaven superior to the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique.
Comparing it to the Plum Blossom Energy Technique, which was merely a foundational Mental Method, was absurd.
‘Perhaps I should modify the Formula slightly?’
It felt like quite a promising thought.
Now that he thought about it, since the Plum Blossom Energy Technique was a foundational Mental Method, it should be easier to alter than the ascending Mental Methods.
Had anyone known what he was thinking at that moment, they would have fainted from shock.
Reformulating martial arts was a burden even for a Grand Master who created them.
Yet Cheon Hui spoke of it as lightly as if he were merely taking a walk.
Overflowing confidence was the reason.
That much would be easy.
He slowly examined the Plum Blossom Energy Technique.
Along with it, his thoughts gradually deepened.
How long had he been swimming through the sea of his mind, where countless martial arts manuals dwelled?
Cheon Hui prioritized the martial arts of the Orthodox Path.
‘Centering on the Nine Schools and One Way.’
The Prajna Supreme Power from the Shaolin Temple.
The Dual Primordial Tai Chi Divine Technique and Mysterious Void Seven Stars Technique from the Wudang Sect.
The Jade Heart Returns to One Technique from the Kunlun Sect.
Followed by the Dianxue Sect, Zhongnan Sect, Qingcheng Sect, and others.
Countless Mental Methods from the schools belonging to the Nine Schools and One Way arose and vanished repeatedly in his consciousness.
Hmm? Yet looking at them this way, they’re similar.
He sensed something amiss.
While the Mental Methods appeared entirely different on the surface, digging deeper revealed numerous similarities.
Tai Chi, Dual Primordial, Nine Palaces, Primordial Harmony.
All began from the source.
Not just the Orthodox Ultimate Teachings of the Nine Schools and One Way.
Even the Demonic Ultimate Teachings of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
All shared the same root.
‘Which means…….’
Cheon Hui, struck by a sudden thought, moved to execute it—first drawing up all the Internal Energy of the Plum Blossom Energy Technique.
After that, establishing the Plum Blossom Energy Technique as the center, he gradually melted the Formulas of the Mental Methods that kept arising in his mind, one by one, around it.
Thus all the Formulas under heaven came together in one seamless whole.
Roar!
Soon the boundary between Demonic Ultimate Teachings and Orthodox Ultimate Teachings crumbled, merging into one.
Ten Thousand Streams Return to Source, as it was called.
Arriving at the end of whether it was Demonic Ultimate Teachings or Orthodox Ultimate Teachings, both pointed to a single place.
Return to Source, True Path.
The correct way back to the root.
Whirrrrr―
From Cheon Hui’s cross-legged form, astonishing Qi surged forth, engulfing the surroundings.
A sharpness that transcended what Orthodox Ultimate Teachings should be.
Yet it was not demonic in nature—the aura was clean, unmistakably lucid.
The form reminded him of the Purple Glow Divine Technique, the heart technique of Hua Shan Sect.
And there was a reason for that.
The Plum Blossom Energy Technique was the root of the Purple Glow Divine Technique.
Trace back far enough, and the paths converged.
Yet this diverged from the Purple Glow Divine Technique in one crucial way.
Where the Purple Glow Divine Technique poured forth its signature violet aura and labored under certain constraints, the energy radiating from Cheon Hui now was transparent—and wholly unbound.
A primordial martial art surpassing the Purple Glow Divine Technique itself.
Thus was born a supreme heart technique destined to shine eternally in the annals of Hua Shan Sect.
Soft—his eyes opened.
Cheon Hui drew his eyes open.
This is rather good.
It was a heart technique that suited him perfectly.
The cultivation speed was excellent, and when that inner power was unleashed, it was so pure it would surely demonstrate tremendous force.
‘I only meant to tweak the formula a little, but somehow I’ve created an entirely new heart technique.’
He examined his Lower Dantian slowly.
Traces of the Plum Blossom Energy Technique remained.
But the contents within had transformed completely.
Had he been his former self, he could never have created such a heart technique.
No—he would never have attempted it.
He had been too preoccupied mastering the Absolute Supremacy Technique and the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique.
A new heart technique called for a name, didn’t it?
He had long held that every martial art deserved a proper name, so folding his arms, he fell into thought for a moment.
“Well, since it’s fundamentally centered on the Plum Blossom Energy Technique, I should include the word plum blossom. As for the rest… heaven? present? Or perhaps…”
Thinking it through methodically, a name suddenly came to him, and he spoke it aloud.
“…Divine Technique. Yes—the Plum Blossom Divine Technique. Since I created it myself, ‘divine’ ought to be in there.”
Speaking with considerable pride, Cheon Hui broke into a satisfied smile.
“Now that the name is settled, shall I properly attempt the Great Heavenly Circulation?”
He closed his eyes again.
Then he recalled the formula of the Plum Blossom Divine Technique.
Whoosh—
In an instant, the Great Heavenly Circulation formed, and a surge of energy far exceeding what came before flooded in, swiftly filling his Lower Dantian.
‘Now this is a heart technique.’
He became absorbed in the Plum Blossom Divine Technique.
Soft—
An hour later, he slowly opened his eyes.
His vision cleared, and the landscape before him seemed transformed.
A martial artist required One Eye, Two Feet, Three Courage, Four Power.
First came sight.
Second came footwork.
Third came a heart unmoved by any threat.
Fourth came the willingness to deploy technique boldly in any circumstance.
Only by mastering these four elements could one truly be called a martial artist.
And now, thanks to the Plum Blossom Divine Technique, the most crucial of these four—his eyes—had opened.
“Excellent.”
He sprang to his feet.
His movements were light as a feather.
Beginning with gentle rotations of his neck, he worked the stiffness from his body, accumulated from the long hours of Qi Circulation and Breathing.
His gaze fell on his gaunt forearms and his lean frame.
“That will need attending to as well.”
Thinking of the days ahead, he looked down.
The Wooden Sword, which he had set down before beginning Qi Circulation and Breathing, lay on the floor.
“But first…”
He kicked the Wooden Sword.
Whirr—
The Wooden Sword spun once through the air; he caught it deftly in his hand, his gaze flashing.
“Shall I see where I stand?”
He drew upon the power of the Plum Blossom Divine Technique.
Perhaps because it was still nascent.
No outward change appeared.
But Cheon Hui felt it keenly.
‘The power contained in this Internal Energy is entirely different.’
Perhaps because it approached primordial martial arts.
Or perhaps because the martial arts had reached primordial form.
Or simply because of its purity.
If another person wielded the Internal Energy of a perfect master, they would not have half this power—yet here it was, meeting them head-on.
Flash!
His eyes opened halfway.
A moment later, he stepped forward with his left foot.
In the next motion, his hand—gripping the Wooden Sword—swept upward in a broad arc.
Whooosh!
The unhindered swing of the Wooden Sword cleaved through the air in an instant, releasing its accumulated force.
“With this much Internal Energy, I should be able to unfold the Plum Blossom Sword Technique properly this time—the one that failed before.”
The corner of Cheon Hui’s mouth twisted upward.
Before, his power had been insufficient, but now it was more than enough.
He channeled his Internal Energy into the sword at once.
He still could not manifest true Sword Qi.
Yet even so, the blade brimmed with sharp aura, and his strength flowed through it.
“How did it go again?”
He recalled the martial arts text he had seen in the Mangyeong Pavilion.
The Twenty-Four Hand Plum Blossom Sword Technique—that was the exact name written in the text he had picked up first from the sword section of the library.
And for good reason: it was the technique that came to mind first when one thought of the Hua Shan Sect, and it was the very technique Malko had displayed.
‘Each swing seemed to drift with plum blossom fragrance, or conjure petals—all rather ornate—but it was certainly a fearsome technique.’
A sword method that seduced through brilliance.
That was what he thought when facing it then.
“How did it go?”
He spread his feet shoulder-width apart and, lifting the Wooden Sword, traced a slow circle.
Thus he began with the first form—Plum Blossom Roadside—and unfolded each move in sequence.
Second form, third form, fourth form……
As Cheon Hui revealed each move of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, his expression shifted into wonder.
‘Among all the sword methods I’ve witnessed so far, this ranks among the very finest.’
He called to mind the sword techniques that packed the Cheonma Library and the Mangyeong Pavilion.
Easily hundreds of them.
The Plum Blossom Sword Technique he was displaying now was excellent enough to rank in the top ten, and regarding the Illusory Sword, it rivaled the very best.
‘Of course, there are a few refinements I’ll make later, but that’s a matter for another time.’
He drew his Internal Energy upward and opened his eyes halfway.
Slide—
Internal Energy flowed naturally into the Wooden Sword.
Following the formula, a subtle plum blossom fragrance rose from the blade and tickled the tip of his nose.
‘That scent from back then.’
The moment Malko crossed his mind.
Slide—
Before his eyes, the sword path of Malko’s Plum Blossom Sword Technique appeared like an afterimage.
Whisk—
His hand naturally followed that trajectory.
How many times did he repeat it, tracing that path and swinging the Wooden Sword?
The boundary between hand and blade grew blurred.
‘This is……’
As the state he had experienced a handful of times before returned, laughter spilled from him.
It was the State of No-Self—the condition in which one achieved enlightenment or compressed one’s martial progress all at once.
‘It came faster than I expected.’
He quickly immersed himself in the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
The State of No-Self was something that, once lost, might not return for a long time.
As Cheon Hui grew absorbed in the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, sinking deeper into the State of No-Self.
Tap.
Two figures appeared.
They were Hyeon Sang and Hyeon Do, the sect leaders.
“……!”
“……!”
The sect leader who had come to the Mo Ok where Cheon Hui was staying to verify whether Hyeon Do’s earlier words were true gasped first in shock, while Hyeon Do beside him stood slack-jawed.
Cheon Hui was performing a sword dance.
A beautiful sword dance that exhaled the scent of plum blossoms so thickly it seemed to swallow all of Hua Shan whole.

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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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