Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 131

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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 131
Dokgo Myeong’s entourage settled temporarily in Angang County, Shaanxi. Rather than staying at an inn or pavilion, they had paid extra to rent an entire manor on the outskirts.
That night, Dokgo Myeong gathered all four of them and spoke.
“You’re all pathetically weak. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“….”
“….”
The expressions of Dokgo Ak, Geum Seok-du, Namgung Sohwa, and Cheolmu-baek hardened.
‘What is this, a challenge?’
‘He’s picking a fight out of nowhere. Truly, he’s a nobleman.’
‘If I strike from behind, I might have a chance….’
‘Hmm….’
Dokgo Ak, whose pride was most wounded, burst out loudly.
“Hey! You’re the monster here, but we’re still recognized as masters wherever we go!”
Dokgo Myeong let out a scoff.
“Masters? How are you all masters?”
“Hey, I’m still first-rate….”
“Oh, so you’re a first-rate master? Fine, good. Listen carefully.”
Dokgo Myeong continued.
“When discussing the levels of ordinary martial artists….”
Those who display their training carelessly are called third-rate. Those who can properly display what they’ve learned are second-rate, and those who do so with mastery are first-rate.
When one reaches a realm where they can adapt and even transform according to circumstances, there is nowhere left to ascend, and this is called the Peak.
If one expands into the realms of inner force cultivation and enlightenment, the distinctions between realms become complex, but society generally refers to them in such ways.
“So, am I right?”
“Y-yes.”
“Then, little brother. You would definitely lose to a Peak master, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s not necessarily true!”
When one perfectly displays their martial arts and reaches a level where essence, energy, and spirit achieve balance, they are called a Peak master.
However, those from prestigious families like Dokgo Ak inevitably have vastly higher levels of essence, energy, and spirit compared to crude wanderers.
Of course, without balance they would be overwhelmed, but could they truly never catch a Peak master?
Even setting that aside, if one considers ambushes, assassinations, hidden weapons, poison, traps, and psychological warfare, victory becomes even harder to determine.
“Then conversely, you would definitely defeat a second-rate master?”
“…No, that’s not it either.”
“Yet you dare call yourselves masters. How absurd.”
“No, I understand what you’re saying. Still, we’re at least….”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“At least.”
“…What?”
“‘At least this level,’ ‘at least that level.’ That very mindset is exactly why you’re all weak.”
“…!”
“When you take a blade someday, will you die thinking ‘I was strong at least this much’?”
“Ah, well, that’s….”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression hardened.
“Get your mind straight.”
His voice carried a biting chill.
The four men’s spines straightened immediately.
“We are in the Gangho. We never know when, or through what filthy means, victory and defeat—life and death—will be decided. I’ve already warned you. That you might have to crawl through the mire. That this won’t be an easy path.”
“….”
“Of course, you lot are strong enough. But merely strong enough won’t suffice.”
Among them all, Cheolmu-baek understood Dokgo Myeong’s words best.
He spoke in his characteristically blunt voice.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’ve been long-winded. Regardless, at your current level, you’re far too weak. You need to shed another layer.”
Namgung Sohwa asked with a far more serious expression.
“Martial arts can’t just become stronger because you want them to immediately, can they?”
“Of course not.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flashed brilliantly.
“But! I am different.”
“Pardon?”
“Kaaaaack! Ptooey!”
Dokgo Myeong suddenly spat phlegm onto the ground with a sharp sound, then began casually scuffing the earth with his toes while cracking his knuckles methodically.
“Strength means having survived.”
“…?”
Dokgo Ak flinched.
Wasn’t it usually the opposite?
Wasn’t it that you became strong because you survived?
Moreover.
‘His eyes… they’ve gone crazy again, haven’t they?’
“In other words! If you keep experiencing the kind of trials that could kill you in order to survive, you’ll eventually become strong!”
It was truly a talent to deliver such utter nonsense with such earnestness.
Dokgo Ak trembled as he asked.
“Just to be sure, how exactly do you gain this experience?”
“I shall become that experience for you.”
“….”
“From now on, we begin personalized tutoring.”
Wow.
This is wrong.
Wrong in the most thoroughly wrong way possible.
* * *
“What we’re about to do is neither martial arts training nor sparring.”
“Then what? A fight?”
Cheolmu-baek rose to his feet with a somewhat excited expression, hefting an iron axe nearly as heavy as a man.
“You’re different from them.”
“…Why is that?”
“You’re not like these fools. What you need is actually the fundamentals.”
“I’ve already awakened to that myself.”
“That’s amusing. Don’t you remember losing to me in raw strength with that massive frame of yours?”
…
“No matter how carelessly you swing it, you generate power—but that alone has its limits.”
…
“What you need is study. You can read Zhongyuan characters, right? I’ve left a book on the bench over there. Go learn from it.”
Cheolmu-baek fights like a savage.
Not as a person, but in his methods of combat. He simply overwhelms through sheer physical strength and inner force.
But should I teach him martial arts?
‘Did tigers and bears ever learn martial arts to dominate the mountains?’
There are occasionally those like this—ones who naturally discover movements that align with principle as easily as breathing.
Cheolmu-baek is such a person. If I try to teach him martial arts and dictate this and that, it will end badly.
‘Just teaching him the fundamentals will be enough.’
The basics of inner force and outer force, footwork, and leg techniques.
Once he masters just that… he’ll become a monster.
Cheolmu-baek trudged along with drooping shoulders, his face deeply furrowed as though sitting and reading books were the greatest torment imaginable. He reluctantly picked up the book resting on the bench.
‘…The Diagram Explaining the Three Talents’ Cultivation Method?’
Next was Namgung Sohwa.
“Sohwa, you have no particular bias. Your sense of balance is far superior to that fool Ak-i.”
“Th-thank you.”
It was surely because she had internalized the fundamentals of the Namgung Clan, the greatest sword school under heaven. She simply hadn’t reached the level yet, but if she only filled the gaps, she would soon break through the barrier.
Moreover, her time on the run had given her considerable practical experience.
“But you’re still only half-formed.”
“My balance is good, but everything is still lacking, isn’t it?”
“Right. So what should you do?”
“Train?”
“Correct. You simply need to fill in all the gaps without exception.”
Dokgo Myeong smiled slightly and pointed to one location.
“See that mountain over there?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I see it.”
“Make five round trips up and down.”
“What?”
“Seven trips.”
“Oh, no.”
“Ten trips.”
“W-wait! You want me to make ten round trips up and down something that high?”
“When you return, we’ll train external techniques separately, practice the vegetarian methods for about three hours, and add internal energy cultivation at dawn and before bed.”
“Wait, when are you supposed to sleep?”
“If you finish training quickly, you can sleep early, right?”
“But what if you can’t finish in a day….”
“Then you keep going until you can sleep.”
The moment Namgung Sohwa heard those words, she kicked off the ground without even looking back.
Time was scarce.
Next came Dokgo Ak.
“Dokgo Ak. Your internal energy and martial arts are both excellent. Once your body is properly conditioned, you’ll break through the peak in no time. You can be proud. You’re strong.”
“Really?”
Why was I suddenly receiving praise?
Dokgo Ak forcefully suppressed the corners of his mouth that were trying to rise.
Then Dokgo Myeong’s words continued.
“But it’s pathetic.”
I knew it would be like this.
“What’s wrong with me then?”
“It’s obvious, you fool. You’re a flower in a greenhouse. If I just brought one mid-level wanderer skilled in actual combat, you’d simply die.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Experience, and most importantly… emotional control. That’s what you’re worst at.”
“….”
“When your opponent uses dirty tricks, you can’t respond. You get irritated and make careless mistakes. It’s the same the other way around. When things go well, you get excited and show off, leaving obvious openings.”
I couldn’t deny it.
But what was I supposed to do about it?
“So from now on, I’m going to get on your nerves.”
“What?”
“I’ll attack you in the most petty and annoying ways possible. Throwing blades, surprise attacks… I won’t stop whether you’re training, going to the outhouse, eating, or sleeping.”
“No, wait, that’s absurd….”
“Don’t expect any breaks when I’m training or doing something else. Everyone gathered here will take turns ambushing you at any time. Since I’ll give rest to those who succeed, they’ll all come at you with fire in their eyes.”
Dokgo Ak felt a chill run down his spine.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled.
“So, from a greenhouse flower to a roadside weed! Stay strong, little brother!”
“Wait, sleep…!”
“There’s no such thing as waiting!”
Crack!
Dokgo Myeong spun around sharply.
“Now, and Seok-du?”
Geum Seok-du trembled as he looked at Dokgo Myeong.
“M-Master. What exactly will you have me do?”
“I think it would be best to maximize what you’re already good at.”
“What I’m good at, sir?”
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“Follow me. I’ve prepared something new for you this time.”
What? What are you talking about?
Whoosh!
Soon Dokgo Myeong brought over chains and iron weights that he wore on his body.
Geum Seok-du’s expression hardened instantly.
“This… surely not…”
“Our Seok-du, let’s become the greatest master of lightness kung fu under heaven.”
“…!”
“What are you doing? Run.”
Geum Seok-du dashed forward, swinging his limbs laden with chains and iron weights in proper form.
Watching him, Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly before beginning to warm up himself.
‘Time may be limited, but those fellows will manage on their own once I set them on the right path.’
Soon Dokgo Myeong began his own cultivation.
And so time passed.
* * *
Before dawn broke, with the surroundings pitch black, Dokgo Myeong came alone to the Training Hall and sat in lotus position.
“Exhale.”
Dokgo Myeong released a long breath and activated the Hongcheon Art.
Since obtaining the Hongcheon Art, the efficiency of his breathing exercises had increased dramatically. Of course, since the amount being filtered was so vast, it didn’t appear drastically different to others.
‘Hongcheon Qi. Truly, it’s a willful force.’
While the Huicheon Qi was like a wild horse raging, making mastery difficult, the Hongcheon Qi was extremely free and not easy to control.
Whoooosh!
The purple qi spreading from where Dokgo Myeong sat was suddenly drawn into him in an instant.
Dokgo Myeong exhaled sharply.
‘Still… I’ve now reached the realm of Hongcheon.’
Flash!
As I slowly opened my eyes, the white and purple light of Huicheon and Hongcheon shimmered before me and faded away.
Perhaps thanks to the spiritual medicines I’d consistently consumed and the practical experience gained from this journey through Gangho, I had now perfectly mastered both Huicheon and Hongcheon.
‘At times, I even touch upon the realm of Ascension. Now I’m truly just one step away.’
If the Peak Realm is the balance and harmony of essence, qi, and spirit, then the Ascension Realm is unity.
Of course, even now I could maintain a state of unity if I concentrated. Therefore, I didn’t consider defeat even against masters of the Ascension Realm.
However, there was an inevitable difference between what one could do and what came naturally.
‘All conditions are met. Yet why won’t the barrier break…’
A hint of regret flickered across Dokgo Myeong’s eyes.
‘Is it because my approach and my martial arts aren’t in balance?’
Huicheon and Hongcheon.
In attack and suppression, advance and evasion, they were martial arts second to none.
Put differently.
‘Protection, defense… I have none.’
It was a point Seo Ryun had raised, and the very reason Dokgo Myeong suffered injuries so frequently.
I fought with reckless abandon. To do so, I needed not just a sharp blade, but powerful armor and shields to protect my body.
In other words, I needed Seoncheon—the martial art of defense and self-protection. To perfect my techniques, opening the Seoncheon meridian was essential.
I clicked my tongue.
‘Tsk, I can’t obtain it right now.’
Each of the secret techniques of Cheonoe Gyeong required its own unique conditions.
Hyocheon awakened when one perceived the sensation of life and death; Huicheon when one acquired sufficient capacity and inner energy; Hongcheon when body and vitality were driven to their limits, searching desperately for a way out.
And Seoncheon was….
-Walk toward the path of death. If you return, you will gain it.
-What if I don’t return?
-Why ask? You’ll die.
My master’s voice echoed through my mind.
I grimaced sharply.
“This damnable master. What kind of martial art is this in the world? He knew all sorts of techniques, yet….”
Suddenly, the face of my master—who had beaten me while teaching—flashed through my thoughts.
He was not a good master. He was a person devoid of warmth.
From the beginning, he seemed to have stepped outside the bounds of humanity itself.
‘But he was strong.’
The word “strong” felt inadequate to describe him. He wielded countless martial arts without distinction between righteous and unorthodox paths, and was proficient in all manner of obscure knowledge—mechanical techniques, forbidden methods, and more.
The term “martial artist” paled in comparison. He was the first supreme master of the Heavenly Realm I had ever encountered in my life—a Martial God.
“Actually, now that I think about it, wasn’t that man some legendary villain? What kind of technique is this….”
I sighed deeply and stretched my arms behind me to support my body.
A glimmer of light streaked across my eyes.
Turning my head, I saw the sun hanging at the mountain’s edge, pushing back the night sky.
It was blindingly bright. The peaceful night was being driven away so thoroughly.
I muttered blankly.
“…I’ve come this far, and yet so much remains.”
Often, when I watched the fleeing night sky, I felt as though I myself were being pursued by something. In those moments, no matter how exhausted I was, I would rise again and begin training. It was the only way to find peace.
This time too, I swung my arms and moved my legs.
As if being chased by someone, or pestered by them, endless like the rising and setting of sun and moon.
Whoosh! Whooosh!
Had the sun’s brightness caused me to lose myself in meditation?
I belatedly realized I was not alone in the Training Hall.
Like clouds wrapping around sunlight.
Like starlight gathering toward moonlight.
Dokgo Ak, Geum Seok-du, Namgung Sohwa, and Cheolmu-baek had gathered around me, each engaged in their own training.
I smiled softly.
Now I felt neither pursued nor pursuing. The sunlight wrapped around my entire body in a pleasant embrace.
I gathered those rays of light and stacked them like firewood in my body and mind. Not to be chased by the light, but someday to become the light myself.
* * *
Time flowed swiftly.
I abandoned thoughts of my clan, the Blood Sect, everything—surrendering myself entirely to the cultivation of martial arts.
There was a reason I had carved out this time. I was waiting for word.
How many days had passed in this manner?
Crash!
“Where in blazes have you been and what have you been doing! Your trail vanished without a trace, you turn up in Shaanxi of all places, and now you finally make contact! Do you have any idea how frantically I’ve been searching for you!”
Ju Won-gwang, the patriarch of the Kaiyang Sect’s rear branch, had arrived at the manor.
I tilted my head in confusion.
“It’s been a while. But why the urgency?”
“This is no time for such questions. You must flee at once.”
“What?”
“The assassins of the Mo-yong Family have just passed through Hubei! The Mo-yong Family has finally tracked down your whereabouts!”

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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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