The Lightning I Harbor Is Too Strong - Chapter 55

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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 55
Ok Pyeong’s body lay at the foot of the stairs leading up to the Main Hall.
Headless, it stood there rigidly—just as Jung I-sin had hurled it away.
‘We’re inside a Formation Technique. That’s not real.’
Formation Technique was an art so rare that even martial artists who could fly through heaven and split the earth considered it an esoteric gift.
Because it was fiendishly difficult to counter, at least the basic countermeasures had become fairly well known.
‘It was all illusion. No need to panic.’
This principle appeared in Dang Mu-jeong’s Teaching as well: remain endlessly aware that what you see is not reality.
That alone wouldn’t shatter the Formation Technique, but at least you wouldn’t be consumed by it.
‘But Ok… uncle…’
Ok Pyeong’s severed face bore a mask of fury.
Not a trace of alarm crossed it—which meant he hadn’t even known he was dying.
The culprit sat without question halfway up the staircase, perched there as if merely resting.
His presence was so overwhelming that Jung I-sin couldn’t fathom why he’d only now noticed it. Yet the man’s face and build were utterly ordinary.
‘Just vengeance. Nothing more to it.’
As Jung I-sin made this vow, the man rose to his feet.
Simultaneously, a staggering wave of Demonic Qi began to coalesce beneath him.
“Tch!”
Jung I-sin bolted from the ground, trying to open distance, but the Demonic Qi pouring from the man engulfed the entire Courtyard in moments.
Escape was no longer possible.
The instant he grasped this, Jung I-sin activated the Extreme Heaven Thunder Technique at full force.
“Huuugh…!”
Crack—!
The Demonic Qi burning away entirely. There was no room to hide, no time to spare.
Jung I-sin breathed out Lightning Qi as he fixed his gaze on the man.
The man descended the stairs, his eyes flaring with interest.
“Extraordinary Lightning Qi. Did you swallow a thunderbolt?”
“I did.”
“…What?”
“I swallowed it, you bastard. Breathing takes all I’ve got—don’t talk to me.”
Jung I-sin’s scowl was utterly sincere.
Channeling the Thunder Call against the man’s Demonic Qi had burned through considerable Internal Strength.
He’d relied on the Thunder Wheel, yet the thing wouldn’t respond.
The man stared at Jung I-sin in blank silence for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
“The greater what you possess, the greater what you gain when Spiritual Decline takes hold. Come into the embrace of Singyeo. Once you fall, Maroe Geumga Ju will tear out his own Dantian and offer it to you.”
“…What are you saying?”
“Money, fame, power, martial skill—take your pick. Name what you desire.”
A fitting invitation from a follower of the Heterodox Devil Way.
In response, Jung I-sin raised his middle finger.
“Your neck. I want your neck.”
“Your Spirit Light burns bright, I grant you. But do you truly believe Singyeo has no means to break your Soul Essence? Refuse, and you’ll suffer torment for eons.”
“If your neck won’t do, then I’ll take your Dantian and…”
Jung I-sin felt the man’s gaze suddenly shift toward his shoulder.
He cut off his words and unleashed the Red Lightning Divine Method—almost a reflex.
Hiss—
In the same instant, the man appeared directly before him, sword already swinging.
‘When did he…?!’
The speed was inconceivable. Impossible even if he’d folded space itself.
Jung I-sin gritted his teeth and twisted. Even within the slowed time of the Red Lightning Divine Method, the man’s movements were faster.
This was what it meant to Drift Through Moments—a Peerless Master.
This man inhabited an entirely different temporal plane than ordinary martial artists.
Crackle—!
The backlash of the Red Lightning Divine Method engulfing his body made him clench his jaw.
Whoosh—!
He twisted with all his might, evading the blade. The sword meant for his shoulder carved instead across his upper arm.
“A Divine Technique of transcendent grace. I had planned to take only your arm, but it seems I must claim your legs as well.”
Before Jung I-sin could even register the pain spreading through his right forearm, the sword fell toward his head again.
Jung I-sin poured all the true qi of the Inverse Muscle Water Scripture into his left hand and swung with everything he had.
‘You said you’d target my legs, you son of a bitch…!’
At the same moment, the man’s blade fell. The cold steel touched his wrist. And then.
Clang! Screech—!
“……!”
With a crystalline ring, the sword shattered.
The blade split cleanly in two, one half tumbling through the air.
In that instant—a glimpse of Wall Heaven Flow’s current, invisible until now, suddenly blazed across his mind like a single bright thread.
‘An opening!’
The strike he’d been preparing, left arm extended, had just reached completion.
Whoooom—!
Layer upon layer of Wall Break waves, stacked and compressed—the finest blow Jung I-sin could muster in this moment.
Layered Wall Break.
A manipulation of true qi he’d never consciously attempted before.
The ripples of qi spreading from his palm center were dense enough to see with the naked eye.
His hand throbbed as if it might burst, yet instinct insisted this was the only answer.
So he gritted his teeth and thrust his palm forward.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Guardian Protective Qi wreathing the man’s body erupted outward.
How many layers had he been building?
He tore through translucent barrier after translucent barrier. And then—contact.
Thud—
“……Damn.”
Yet when his palm struck the man’s chest, not even a shred of residual force remained.
Despite the hollow result, the man’s voice rang with what sounded like genuine admiration.
“Your Lightning Qi—truly dangerous. That you could tear through my Guardian Protective Qi without even knowing Celestial Qi… And what is that on your wrist?”
“This lousy—”
“I swear I will absolutely—”
Even this last gambit had failed.
Yet he couldn’t afford to surrender. The moment he raised his hand to counter the man’s next move—
Whoosh—
The man began to dissolve.
Whisper-whisper-whisper—Clack!
And as always, a small glass orb settled against Jung I-sin’s feet.
As the world around him slowly faded, strength drained from his body.
Jung I-sin managed to lift his trembling left hand with great effort.
“……You.”
Swish—
There stood only Muok Rin, dark crimson eyes blinking as if nothing had happened.
* * *
Back in the Stone Chamber.
As the Red Lightning Divine Method dispersed, overwhelming exhaustion crashed down upon him. The burning ache that ran through his entire body was merely the price he paid.
“Ngh…….”
Jung I-sin had no strength left to stand. He simply collapsed where he was.
Groaning softly, he rested his left arm across his knee, and only then managed to meet Muok Rin’s gaze.
“Are you…… all right?”
Swish—
The small dark serpent, flicking its tongue as it always did.
Jung I-sin was not easily startled by these creatures—not after encountering spirits like O Seo.
Even now, O Seo slept soundly in the pocket of his sleeve, unbothered despite their battle.
Creatures of the Bottomless Abyss—he’d given up trying to understand them.
“But this…… ”
That blade strike had come from a Peerless Master.
Escape was impossible; offering his arm and striking back had been his only choice.
Jung I-sin stroked Muok Rin despite the pain, managing the agony with each touch.
“……Thank you. I’m alive because of you.”
Not a single scratch marred the metallic scales. He lingered there, feeling the cool sensation transmitted through his fingertips—
Swish—!
Muok Rin suddenly leapt from his wrist and crossed the Stone Chamber’s floor with rapid strides.
Not far from where Jung I-sin sat slumped, the broken blade lay on the stone.
“……Why is this here?”
This was surely a fragment of the sword the man had wielded—the blade that had shattered after striking Muok Rin.
Yet thinking back through the previous floors, this was the first time anything like this had remained.
Whoosh—
Muok Rin circled around the sword blade, drifting in lazy spirals.
All the while, the creature kept glancing at Jung I-sin as if seeking permission.
“Surely you’re not planning to eat that? Even so, an edged weapon is a bit…….”
Whoosh—!
“……All right, if you’re sure about it.”
What was there to worry about now anyway?
The moment Jung I-sin nodded, Muok Rin swallowed the blade whole. The sharp steel vanished in an instant.
“How does it taste?”
Slurp!
Muok Rin’s scarlet tongue flickered before the creature puffed itself up and spat something out with a soft clink.
A small jade case—the True Spirit Pill and Wound Medicine that Jung I-sin had seen when visiting Eon So-ran’s sickbed.
Muok Rin nudged the jade case with its head.
“You’re better than O Seo, I’ll give you that.”
Chirp—
Ignoring the tremor of movement from his pocket, Jung I-sin bent down to gather the scattered debris around him.
As the heightened focus of combat drained away, a terrible pain wrapped around his entire body.
“Ungh…… I’ve lost far too much blood.”
His sleeve was already stained a dark violet.
“All this for a single treasure…… hah.”
With his remaining functional left hand, he secured the glass orb.
The numeral clearly etched upon it greeted him: Four.
“Still, I made it through the third floor. There should definitely be casualties at this rate. If there aren’t any, something’s wrong…….”
Jung I-sin was muttering to himself as he struggled to his feet, then suddenly went rigid.
He lifted the glass orb again.
No matter how many times he wiped it against his clothes, the numeral remained unchanged.
Four.
“……What?”
* * *
Manmugak Underground First Floor.
Baek Elder, who had been waiting for Jung I-sin, jumped to his feet.
The sun had already risen long ago.
“The first three floors shouldn’t take this long?”
Even combined, all three rarely consumed more than a single double-hour.
The fourth floor, being a replica of an actual Makyeo branch that once existed, would understandably demand substantial time.
There was, however, a specific reason Baek Elder had so emphatically forbidden any attempt at the fourth floor.
The fourth floor harbored a Peerless Master, and withstanding a single blow from that entity was the condition for clearing that level.
Though it was called a single strike, there wasn’t a younger generation martial artist in all the Jianghu capable of stopping it.
Rather, the mystery lay in how—and why—such a thing had been manifested through Formation Technique at all.
In truth, the fourth floor of the Yeok Tower had seen challengers in the past, but none had ever cleared it. All of them had perished.
Baek Elder began to groan.
“That boy’s judgment is usually sharp as a blade, but surely he didn’t attempt the fourth floor…….”
Still muttering to himself, Baek Elder spun around sharply.
Jung I-sin was ascending the stairs, trembling visibly with every step.
His right sleeve hung limp, completely soaked in blood.
“Good heavens! You, you fool! What in blazes happened!?”
Something had gone terribly wrong. The Qi Aura flowing from Jung I-sin’s body was razor-sharp—unmistakably that of someone who had endured a brutal, genuine battle.
And the blood loss; Jung I-sin’s pallid face lifted slowly as he met Baek Elder’s gaze.
“You’ve been waiting, I see.”
Baek Elder rushed to support him, speaking in a torrent of concern.
“I know how auspicious your True Qi is. The third floor merely requires you to reject the temptations of Demonic Thought that invite Spiritual Decline—there’s no reason you should end up like this! You’re not the sort to fall for such tricks!”
“Ah, so that’s how it was. What a——”
Jung I-sin caught himself mid-mutter, his mouth snapping shut. A curse had nearly slipped out unbidden.
“Come now…… sit down. You’ll bleed out if you keep stanching wounds so carelessly.”
Baek Elder produced cloth and hurried to examine the injuries.
The sword wound that had cut across his upper arm was savage. As he frowned and diligently bound the wound, Jung I-sin drew the orb from his pocket.
“Elder Baek, this…….”
“You stubborn wretch! Tend to yourself first! You’re young and think your body is immortal!”
Without even glancing at the orb, Baek Elder retrieved a book from his pocket.
“Here, take this. I was certain you would succeed no matter what.”
“Ha, thank you.”
“Go to the Medicine Hall first. Your wound runs deep.”
“May I… take this with me?”
“After all that effort, you think I’d keep you standing here looking at it? Take it. But don’t show it to anyone unworthy. And even if it’s only a copy, burn it the moment you finish reading.”
Jung I-sin rose unsteadily and bowed.
“Whew! Once you’ve healed, come back. We’ll talk then. The sun’s been up for hours now. Go rest, you stubborn fool!”
“Thank you so much, truly.”
The old man’s chest tightened, then grew hollow, watching him leave without ever dropping his courtesy.
Baek Elder only examined the glass orb after Jung I-sin had gone.
Four.
“……What?”
* * *
Jung I-sin did not go to the Medicine Hall. He did not return to the Cheongryong Hall dormitory.
His footsteps led instead to Gangwudang.
‘The Unequal Hour still leaves me time.’
Gangwudang wasn’t far from Manmugak, but Jung I-sin’s condition was so wretched that it hardly mattered.
Whispers trailed behind him. He understood their gazes well enough.
Never in all his time in the Martial World had he been left in such a state.
The moment he opened the corner lecture room door, Yeon Baek-ha’s voice spilled out—bright with an almost alarming delight.
“Yes! Success! I knew one day was impossible to—”
Yeon Baek-ha’s raised hands froze mid-air, his mouth opening and closing silently.
“Y-you… Jung I-sin?”
“Yes, Professor. It is.”
“What… what happened to you?”
His naturally pale face drained of what little color remained.
Yeon Baek-ha shuffled backward until he pressed himself against the window on the far side of the lecture room.
Squelch.
His leather shoes, soaked with blood, released a wet, ugly sound with each step.
Jung I-sin closed the door behind him as he entered.
Thud.
“……!”
Jung I-sin pulled out a book and smiled brightly at the flinching Yeon Baek-ha.
“I found them. The Jaya Myeol Secret Records. The Na Gunhyeon Great Hero’s Secret Records.”
“……Jung I-sin.”
“Yes.”
“Did you… did you kill the Manmugak Master?”
“Pardon?”
Yeon Baek-ha stood with his eyes closed for a long moment before opening his mouth again.
His voice had returned to that familiar, chill tone.
“Your Qi Aura is severely unstable. So you were carrying Lightning Qi all along. Don’t tell me you’re about to broadcast news of this extraordinary achievement to the whole district?”
“Ah.”
“I don’t know what you’ve endured, but no matter how supreme the divine technique, a martial artist’s mind cannot waver. When it does, even the highest art becomes third-rate.”
Click.
As if in agreement, the Thunder Wheel began to rotate.
‘The bastard didn’t even help.’
Jung I-sin clicked his tongue and regulated his breathing.
Once the Thunder Wheel added its strength, his Qi Aura settled instantly.
“……To do that in a single breath. A monster.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. I understand you retrieved the records, but we stop here for today. Think of this lesson as teaching you this: self-care comes first.”
A small laugh escaped Jung I-sin.
“I’ll carve it into bone. My arm’s split open with the bone showing—I’ll carve it right there.”
“…….”
“A jest.”
“Go to the Medicine Hall immediately. ……Take this.”
Yeon Baek-ha handed him wound medicine—the same kind Muok Rin had given him.
“Thank you, Professor. I’ll see you at the next lesson.”
“……Absolutely not! You must not come back until you’re fully healed. Absolutely not!”
Jung I-sin slipped out of the lecture room, leaving Yeon Baek-ha’s insistence behind.
Bang!
Something inside clattered as if falling, but she didn’t turn around—she simply left.
The long day had come to an end. It was the second day of the term.
The lightning I carry is far too strong
Author |
Woo San Yu
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(Company) Samyang C&C
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Editorial Department
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No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without written permission from (Company) Samyang C&C – Dream Books.

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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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