The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 85

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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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Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family – Chapter 85

Teachings from the Thirteen Venerables?
This was something so precious that even dozens of gold ingots couldn’t procure it without the proper connection.
I immediately rose and cupped my fists in gratitude.
“Thank you for your kindness.”
“Think nothing of it. As I said, I’m merely offering a small measure of assistance. Whether you can break through that wall depends entirely on you.”
“I will do my utmost to succeed.”
“Then follow me. Geuk-a, might we borrow the Training Grounds?”
“Of course. Use it as you see fit.”
“Then come along.”
Moyong Hyun-rak and I followed her toward the Training Grounds—a place only the direct bloodline of the Sichuan Dang Family could access.
There, Dang So-hye reached out and grasped a wooden sword hanging casually nearby.
An ordinary wooden sword with no distinguishing features whatsoever.
A chill ran down my spine.
Yet the moment she gripped that blade, I felt my entire body bristle with goosebumps.
She hadn’t released any aura, hadn’t made any threatening gesture—
But my senses, sharpened by the Pungsin Arts and the Vajra Asura Divine Technique, screamed danger with unmistakable clarity.
Dang So-hye noticed my reaction and smiled wickedly.
“Indeed, your instincts are keen.”
“What’s wrong?”
Moyong Hyun-rak asked quietly, noticing my face had gone deathly pale.
He clearly hadn’t sensed the shift in the atmosphere.
I shook my head as if nothing was amiss.
This was no time to surrender to fear—I had to seize this opportunity and ascend to the next level by any means necessary.
“Then shall we begin? You’re Moyong Hyun-rak, correct?”
“Yes, Senior.”
“Come at me. You may use your full strength.”
“I won’t hold back.”
The blade sang as it was drawn.
Moyong Hyun-rak unsheathed his beloved sword without hesitation.
His bearing made clear he would show no mercy regardless of whether she wielded a wooden sword or fought bare-handed.
After all, such distinctions meant nothing before a master of the Limitless Realm.
“I’m coming.”
“Go ahead.”
“Haaah!”
From Moyong Hyun-rak’s hands unfolded the Thirteen Trigram Sword technique.
A near-textbook display of movement, refined from countless martial arts scattered throughout the world.
Yet precisely because of that, it was flawless and unyielding.
Dang So-hye’s expression brightened with amusement as she watched.
She gazed at Moyong Hyun-rak and smiled with a sly grin before speaking.
“You possess a temperament similar to mine. I too abandoned my family’s martial arts and created entirely new techniques of my own.”
As she spoke, Dang So-hye swung her wooden sword.
Crack!
“…!”
When the steel blade and wooden sword collided, it was the steel blade that was driven back.
The rebound force caused me to stumble backward.
“That’s why I understand how difficult it is to create new martial arts. Yet your techniques are nearly flawless—truly magnificent. This means you possess the qualities of a founder.”
Whoosh!
Dang So-hye’s blade curved like a serpent, striking at me relentlessly.
I clenched my teeth and met each attack without yielding.
Our blades clashed repeatedly, neither of us giving an inch in the exchange.
“So it seems I have little significant advice to offer. After all, offering careless counsel before a legendary founder might diminish their worth.”
Dang So-hye laughed playfully as she spoke.
“Therefore, I shall offer you only a few minor points of guidance.”
“I am listening intently.”
“First.”
Boom!
Suddenly, Dang So-hye’s blade swept upward from below, knocking my sword from my grasp.
I panicked and tried to regain my stance, but her wooden sword was already pressed against my throat.
“Your swordplay is far too orthodox. Certainly, orthodoxy means there are no major flaws. However, having no major flaws is much the same as having no major strengths. In other words, you are highly vulnerable to opponents with superior fundamentals.”
“…!”
“Come again. This time, show me your ultimate technique. Based on what I’ve seen so far, you surely possess one?”
Dang So-hye withdrew her sword and created distance between us before speaking.
I nodded and unleashed the eleventh move of the Qiankun Thirteen Swords.
It was the technique most suited for eliminating a single opponent in a one-on-one confrontation.
Dang So-hye simply watched, then suddenly thrust her sword forward.
Tap!
My movement halted mid-technique.
‘No… it was countered.’
The flow of my attack had been severed, leaving me helpless.
As if to confirm my thoughts, Dang So-hye continued.
“Secondly, because it is orthodox, it is predictable. I notice your techniques follow a single continuous flow. This means they are designed to prepare for the ultimate moves that follow. However, precisely because of this, they are easy to recognize—and therefore easy to counter.”
“That is….”
My eyes wavered.
Since I had taken pride in my ultimate technique, her words weighed heavily upon me.
“Ha ha. Are you disheartened by my words? There is no need. Objectively speaking, your martial arts are excellent. These flaws are merely points I chose to highlight.”
“What would you suggest I do?”
“Polish your martial arts even further. You say your techniques are too orthodox, making it easy for opponents with superior fundamentals to counter? Then simply cultivate fundamentals superior to theirs.”
“…!”
“Just because you’ve heard one voice doesn’t mean you must abandon the path you’ve walked so far. Cunning schemes can never overcome righteous principles. If you continue stacking stones to build your mountain, you will become a giant that none can surpass.”
“Thank you.”
Moyong Hyun-rak seemed to grasp something from those words, offering a respectful bow with his fists clasped.
Dang So-hye smiled with satisfaction, then turned her attention to me.
“Now it’s your turn. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
I stepped forward to take Moyong Hyun-rak’s place before Dang So-hye.
She smiled with amusement as she spoke.
“That one’s martial arts were entertaining, but I’m curious about yours as well. Come, let me see what you can do.”
“Understood.”
The moment I answered, I activated both the Vajra Yaksha Divine Art and the Bukcheon Divine Art simultaneously.
The two forces, colliding without conflict and creating a synergistic effect, intertwined to summon a golden wind.
Dang So-hye’s eyes flickered upon witnessing this.
But I didn’t stop there—I even activated Yaksha Transformation.
My senses became several times sharper than usual.
And the golden wind layered upon that revealed everything about her to me.
I synthesized and organized this information, then rushed toward her.
Pungsin Step.
The golden wind enveloped me and swept forward with tremendous momentum.
“Indeed, the martial arts of the Bukcheon Sword Family that command the wind.”
Kaaaaang!
My blade, unleashed with full force, was blocked by her wooden sword.
But I wasn’t discouraged.
After all, the gap in skill between us was as vast as heaven and earth.
So I accepted this as natural.
Thus, I gave no respite and unleashed a relentless barrage of consecutive strikes.
Gale Succession Slash!
Pababak!
Several slashes surged toward Dang So-hye’s neck.
Yet she simply stood in place, deflecting each one with a single swing of her sword.
Without moving from her position.
To me, it felt like a provocation—as if she were daring me to make her move.
So I immediately wrapped wind around my blade and released a Storm Slash.
Kuwakwakwakwakwakwang!
A tempest with the momentum to tear through everything surged toward Dang So-hye.
She was caught directly in its path.
But then something remarkable happened.
“How delightful.”
Chwaak!
She had intercepted my Storm Slash mid-technique by angling her blade with perfect precision.
The fierce tempest of steel that had been bearing down relentlessly vanished without a trace.
I gritted my teeth and unleashed Gale Pierce instead.
Crash!
My Gale Pierce, aimed at her throat, was cleanly blocked by her wooden sword.
Dang So-hye twisted her blade and swept it in a wide arc, pushing me back effortlessly.
She regarded me with a faint smile playing at her lips.
“Each individual strike is so ferociously powerful that it’s hard to believe they come from merely a master of the Ultimate Realm. At this level, you’d have no equal among your peers.”
However, she continued.
“But looking at your swordsmanship, I now understand why you haven’t yet ascended to the Johwa Realm.”
“What is the reason?”
“Your Qi and Spirit are far too bloated compared to your Essence. The three elements aren’t achieving harmony. You must sense this yourself, even if dimly?”
…
I furrowed my brow.
Because I realized her words were true.
Thinking about it, it made perfect sense.
I had already ascended to the Johwa Realm once in my first life.
Therefore, my Spirit had essentially already reached that level.
And my Qi.
By absorbing the Heavenly Pure Stone, I had gained internal power that was unbelievable for someone at the Ultimate Realm—meaning my Qi had also reached the Johwa Realm level.
But my Essence, my physical body, had not grown to match that height.
The Vajra Yaksha Divine Art was developing my body to be suitable for combat, but…
Even so, it had not yet fully matured.
Until now, I had simply reinforced my body by force with overflowing energy, never noticing the imbalance.
I looked at Dang So-hye and spoke.
“Then what methods exist to resolve this?”
“There are exactly two paths.”
Dang So-hye held up two fingers as she spoke.
“One is the orthodox way: temper your physical body through rigorous training until it reaches the level of warriors in the Johwa Realm. Once that happens, your Essence, Qi, and Spirit will merge seamlessly without discord.”
“And the other?”
“Force your body’s grade upward through battles that dance between life and death, adapting it to the remaining two elements. It’s like being forced into unity for the sake of survival.”
Dang So-hye regarded me with an intrigued expression.
“But if you botch such an attempt, you could very well die. I’m not joking when I say to engage in life-and-death combat. So I don’t recommend this path.”
“Could you perhaps assist me with the second method?”
I lowered my head respectfully as I made this request of Dang So-hye.
Her eyes turned cold.
“Didn’t I just say I don’t recommend it? And you still dare ask me for such a thing?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t mistake me for someone who would go easy on you. Whether you’re my granddaughter’s benefactor or not, once I accept such a request, I cannot do it half-heartedly. You could easily die.”
“I accept the risk.”
“What’s your reason?”
“Because I must grow stronger as quickly as possible.”
On the surface, the Bukcheon Sword Family appeared to be flourishing and expanding rapidly.
But from my perspective, we remained in a precarious state—vulnerable enough to be swept away by a single gesture from Black Night Fortress.
To protect such a family, I had to become stronger first.
Yet with my current stagnation, it seemed I would never elevate my realm.
So I had no choice but to struggle with all my might to grow stronger.
“Hmm.”
Had my unwavering resolve reached her?
Dang So-hye narrowed her eyes.
A look of contemplation.
But it was only momentary.
Kugugugugun….
Then I felt a chilling pressure emanating from her.
This was something I could sense even without the Wind God’s Technique or the Vajra Yaksha Divine Art.
She had merely revealed her presence, yet the entire space trembled around us.
“Very well.”
Dang So-hye raised her sword and pointed it toward me.
“Since you desire it so earnestly, it would be poor form to refuse.”
“…!”
“Just a quarter hour. I shall spare that much time for you. I hope you grasp something within it.”
Dang So-hye’s expression grew serious.
“Now, receive this.”
Her blade descended toward me in a beautiful arc.
“This is the sword of the Sichuan First Sword.”

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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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