Chapter 329: Severing Distance Sword
“Heavenly Escape Sword Art, huh…….”
The Sword Immortal absentmindedly stroked the hilt of his sword while looking at Jin Seong-un.
For once, Jin Seong-un’s eyes were gleaming brightly.
The Sword Immortal was the one and only man to ascend to immortality through the sword alone.
Even the Fire Dragon Hidden Sword vastly surpassed most supreme sword arts, so Jin Seong-un could not help but anticipate what level the Sword Immortal’s true sword art had reached.
The Sword Immortal met Jin Seong-un’s gaze and made a troubled expression.
“……Seong-un, I do not know whether your current level is enough to learn it.”
“If you teach me, I will do my utmost.”
As the Sword Immortal’s hesitation dragged on, the Martial Gods began adding their opinions one by one.
The first was the Martial King.
“Elder, if you intended to teach him eventually anyway, I see no harm in showing him now.”
“Exactly.”
Noble Enchantress nodded from beside him.
Even the Blood Demon silently pressured the Sword Immortal with his gaze.
Truthfully, both the Martial King and the Blood Demon knew just how extraordinary the Heavenly Escape Sword Art was.
They had exchanged swords with the Sword Immortal upon first arriving in the Realm of Martial Gods.
Thus, as martial artists, pure curiosity arose within them.
How much of that incomprehensible supreme sword art could a disciple born with the Heavenly Martial Body truly master?
Just as the Sword Immortal was beginning to waver—
The Divine Thief muttered casually,
“What if it’s actually worse than the Fire Dragon Hidden Sword?”
The Sword Immortal flinched.
His brows slowly curved downward.
Ignoring that, the Divine Thief deliberately added one final remark.
“Then again, Fire Dragon True Man wasn’t exactly ordinary either. Wasn’t he a famous immortal himself?”
“…….”
The Divine Thief was the greatest thief in all history.
And what was a thief?
Someone skilled at escaping from others.
To escape easily, one absolutely required the art of provocation.
In other words, the ability to scrape directly against another’s nerves.
Across all ages, the Divine Thief knew better than anyone how to irritate martial artists.
While observing the situation, Noble Enchantress grabbed the Divine Thief’s shoulder and said,
“Oh, stop that. The Sword Immortal is still an incredible person in his own right.”
Perhaps there truly was nothing more irritating than someone pretending to mediate.
The Sword Immortal’s beard visibly trembled.
“Seong-un.”
“Yes, Master.”
The Sword Immortal stared intently at Jin Seong-un before slowly stepping backward.
The distance between them gradually widened.
Farther, and farther still.
“This is Severing Distance Sword, the most basic first form among the nine sword forms and one ultimate technique of the Heavenly Escape Sword Art.”
“I will engrave it into my heart.”
Jin Seong-un circulated his energy to form a sword.
Holding the Qi Sword firmly, he etched every movement of the Sword Immortal into his eyes.
The Sword Immortal slowly raised his sword and continued.
“Though merely the opening form, it will not be easy to wield. But one thing is certain—if you can use Severing Distance Sword, the world will call you a master of the Transcendent Realm.”
At that moment, the Sword Immortal’s blade moved.
An ordinary slash that was not particularly fast.
Though the distance between them was immense, no Sword Qi or Sword Aura erupted forth.
Just as Jin Seong-un was beginning to feel puzzled—
Slice—!
With a chilling sound, the Qi Sword in Jin Seong-un’s hand was cleanly severed.
Only the hilt and lower portion remained while the upper half scattered into the air and vanished.
“…….”
Jin Seong-un blinked.
He could not even comprehend what had happened.
The Sword Immortal had never moved from his spot.
“Again.”
The Sword Immortal spoke quietly.
Suppressing his confusion, Jin Seong-un formed another Qi Sword.
This time, he raised his energy to its utmost limit with the determination to absolutely see through it.
The Sword Immortal’s blade slowly moved once more.
And the same thing happened again.
Slice—!
No energy had been released.
Nor had the Sword Immortal approached swiftly to cut him down.
From an impossibly distant location, he had merely swung his sword and severed the Qi Sword.
Even after seeing it twice, there was no way to understand what had occurred.
The Sword Immortal continued.
“If two martial artists possess equal skill, then a longsword is superior to a dagger, and a spear superior to a longsword. Combat is ultimately won by the one who secures superiority in time and space. And the length of one’s weapon represents dominance over space.”
“…….”
“But once you transcend space itself, even that becomes meaningless. Even if your opponent fights with a sword a thousand li long, you could cut him down from eleven hundred li away.”
Jin Seong-un felt faintly dizzy.
Transcend space?
Watching the Sword Immortal casually speak such absurd words, he once again realized this man had achieved the greatest accomplishment in swordsmanship throughout history.
The Martial King and Divine Thief felt the same.
They too were masters who had defined entire eras, yet the Sword Immortal existed on an entirely different plane from them.
“Of course, Seong-un, it will take you a long time to reach this level. Even considering your Heavenly Martial Body. However, if you manage to transcend even a single inch of space, then very few in this era will be able to contend against your sword.”
Jin Seong-un agreed completely.
To begin with, a true master was someone who perfectly understood even the opponent’s space.
Weapon length, the range of one’s energy—everything was constantly considered during battle.
Masters fought by claiming more favorable positions and superior speed.
Yet if someone suddenly cut across space itself like this, how many people in the world could even react?
Perhaps only the Wudang Sword Immortal or the Murim Alliance Leader.
“However, transcending space does not solve everything. One who can cut wood but not stone will never cut stone no matter how much he trains Severing Distance Sword.”
At best, he would merely cut wood from farther away.
This was not a sword art that sharpened the blade itself.
It merely transcended space.
The Sword Immortal hoped his disciple would not obsess over advantages and forget the fundamentals.
Jin Seong-un engraved those words into his heart and nodded.
Yet if even the most basic first form was this monstrous, he could not even imagine what the remaining eight forms and ultimate technique would be like.
For the first time since learning martial arts, Jin Seong-un felt his heart pounding.
“……But how exactly do you do it?”
He fully understood how incredible the Heavenly Escape Sword Art—and its first form, Severing Distance Sword—was.
That was why he wanted to know how it was performed and how one was supposed to train it.
The Sword Immortal scratched his head briefly before answering.
“You gauge the space.”
“Yes.”
“Then focus your mind.”
“Yes.”
“And transcend it.”
“……What?”
Jin Seong-un blinked stupidly.
The Sword Immortal also looked awkward.
That truly was the entirety of the explanation.
Nothing more could be added or removed.
“In other words, continuously strive to cut things farther away.”
“…….”
The Divine Thief pointed his thumb downward in mockery, while even the Martial King let out a hollow laugh.
Jin Seong-un stared blankly at the Sword Immortal before cautiously asking,
“……That’s all?”
“Yes. In the end, you must realize it yourself. Once you understand that space itself is merely an illusion created by the mind, the principle is not particularly difficult.”
Jin Seong-un hurriedly looked toward the other Martial Gods.
Fortunately, all of them were blinking with similarly bewildered expressions.
Apparently he was not failing to understand because he was stupid.
“Anyway, that’s how it is.”
The Sword Immortal firmly declared there was nothing more to teach.
At that point, the Divine Thief voiced a perfectly reasonable suspicion.
“If you don’t want to teach him, just say so. What kind of nonsense is this?”
“That’s not it. This truly is everything. I always crossed swords with opponents stronger than myself, and I constantly yearned to cut farther and faster. Eventually, that yearning became enlightenment and granted me the foundation of the Heavenly Escape Sword.”
The Divine Thief suddenly realized something.
Ah right, this person really was Lü Dongbin, the legendary Sword Immortal.
Watching him play Baduk every day and act stubborn had almost made him forget.
Jin Seong-un seemed to organize his thoughts briefly before cupping his fists respectfully.
“Thank you for your guidance. I will diligently strive to master Severing Distance Sword.”
It was sincere gratitude.
He still did not understand it, but the Sword Immortal was not someone who would refuse to teach out of selfishness.
Considering he had already given everything he possessed, it was more reasonable to believe he truly had nothing further to offer.
The Sword Immortal nodded approvingly.
“Yes. The first step is difficult, but once you grasp the principle, the next steps will become much easier.”
At least that was good news.
As Jin Seong-un repeatedly reviewed the Severing Distance Sword he had witnessed and the Sword Immortal’s teachings—
The Sword Immortal suddenly approached and spoke.
“It is time for you to abandon the Fire Dragon Qi.”
“Pardon?”
“Seong-un, at your current level, you should normally be capable of containing both the Pure Yang Qi and Fire Dragon Qi necessary to wield the Heavenly Escape Sword. However, your dantian has become far too cluttered.”
Jin Seong-un currently possessed Fire Dragon Qi, Lunar Essence Qi, and even Blood Demon Aura within himself.
If he attempted to operate Pure Yang Qi on top of all that, not even his body would withstand it.
That was the Sword Immortal’s judgment.
“You no longer need Fire Dragon Qi anyway. And you should be able to wield Pure Yang Qi using Lunar Essence Qi as the foundation. The two energies share the same origin.”
Jin Seong-un inwardly felt reluctant.
Unlike Lunar Essence Qi, which steadily accumulated simply through breathing, Fire Dragon Qi was precious internal energy he had carefully cultivated through his cultivation art.
Though “small” was only relative compared to Lunar Essence Qi—it still rivaled the dantian of most Transcendent Realm masters.
“……Understood.”
There was no other choice.
Surely the Sword Immortal had his reasons.
Thinking that, Jin Seong-un sat in the lotus position.
Soon, fierce crimson energy began surging outward around him.
Fwoooosh—!
The energy instantly transformed into enormous flames that wildly scorched the surroundings.
Ordinarily, Jin Seong-un would have been extremely cautious in case someone became caught in the energy and died.
But here, there was no one he needed to protect.
As expected, the Martial Gods naturally split apart or blocked the energy.
This truly was the Realm of Martial Gods.
Eventually, all of the Fire Dragon Qi was expelled.
Jin Seong-un felt overwhelming hunger.
“I should eat as soon as I return.”
“There is no need. Your hunger will soon be filled. Circulate your energy exactly as I instruct.”
The Sword Immortal spoke while placing a hand on Jin Seong-un’s back.
After manifesting Lunar Essence Qi in his palm, Jin Seong-un slowly circulated the energy according to the Sword Immortal’s guidance.
A faint golden radiance began mixing into the pure white Lunar Essence Qi.
Then Jin Seong-un frowned slightly.
Pure Yang—the purest Yang energy imaginable—was so scorching hot that even Jin Seong-un felt pain in his palm.
The Sword Immortal’s voice continued calmly.
“That is Pure Yang Qi. Yang energy at the utmost extreme burns even hotter than the flames of a fire dragon. Focus your mind and make it wholly your own.”
As he said this, the Sword Immortal glanced sideways at the Divine Thief.
Since the Divine Thief had compared Fire Dragon True Man to the Sword Immortal earlier, he was subtly showing that Pure Yang Qi surpassed Fire Dragon Qi.
Of course, the Divine Thief was the type to immediately forget whatever provocation he himself caused, so he seemed entirely uninterested.
Jin Seong-un felt the heat of Pure Yang Qi gradually falling under his control.
If Lunar Essence Qi resembled the pure radiance of life itself, then Pure Yang Qi felt like the blazing sunlight hanging high in the heavens.
It genuinely felt as though a tiny sun floated atop his palm.
“Is it done?”
The Sword Immortal asked quietly while removing his hand.
Jin Seong-un answered through action.
He cupped his fists and bowed slightly.
“I have received something precious from you, Elder.”
The hunger vanished as though washed away.
Instead, an intensely hot and clear fullness spread throughout his body, to the point he no longer even missed Fire Dragon Qi.
Soon Jin Seong-un hurriedly greeted the Martial Gods.
He wanted to return to the inn immediately and train Severing Distance Sword.
Then, while greeting the Blood Demon, Baek Ae-ryeong’s story suddenly came to mind.
“Master, have you perhaps destroyed a fragment of the Nine-Tails in the past? According to a woman named Baek Ae-ryeong, the personality called ‘Pride’ died by your hand……”
“I do not know.”
“Ah, yes.”
Jin Seong-un nodded as though he had expected that answer.
If it was the Blood Demon, his opponent’s identity probably had never mattered much.
---
After leaving the Realm of Martial Gods, Jin Seong-un headed directly toward the training grounds where his friends were gathered.
Within the fairly spacious backyard training ground, Seomun Ak, Moyong Hyeon, and Seo Yu-gyeom each occupied their own area while continuing their training.
“You’re back.”
Seo Yu-gyeom said dryly after instantly shredding the empty air into more than a dozen slashes.
Jin Seong-un nodded.
Moyong Hyeon and Seomun Ak merely glanced at him briefly, but Seo Yu-gyeom narrowed his eyes and said,
“You look happy.”
Only then did Seomun Ak and Moyong Hyeon look back at Jin Seong-un again.
But to them, his face looked just as expressionless as always.
Jin Seong-un spoke.
“Sometimes, Young Hero Seo is frightening.”
At some point, Seo Yu-gyeom had become remarkably good at reading even Jin Seong-un’s tiniest emotional changes.
Perhaps it was because he was an exceptional assassin.
Or perhaps because they had spent the longest time together.
“So what is it?”
“I learned a new sword.”
“A new sword? Don’t tell me…….”
They now believed in the existence of the Martial Gods.
After everything they had experienced, denying it would have been even more irrational.
Jin Seong-un drew his iron sword with a resolute expression before making a request to Seo Yu-gyeom.
“Shake the tree for me.”
Though puzzled, Seo Yu-gyeom lightly shook the tree as requested.
A few remaining leaves fluttered gently toward the ground.
Jin Seong-un stared sharply at a single leaf before swinging his sword.
The sword remained far from touching the leaf.
Yet he tried to transcend the space between them.
There was no “how.”
He merely yearned for it, wished for it, and tried with all his might.
Whoosh—!
When the sword’s trajectory ended—
The leaf landed peacefully upon the ground.
Jin Seong-un’s sword had not transcended space by even an inch—no, not even by a speck.
“…….”
While everyone watched seriously, Seomun Ak asked,
“What exactly did you just do?”
“It was practice. Please do it again.”
Seo Yu-gyeom shook the tree once more.
Jin Seong-un swung his sword again, and once more the leaf remained perfectly intact.
It was as though he were the world’s greatest lover of plants, incapable of cutting even the tiniest thing.
Jin Seong-un’s brows twitched faintly.
For the first time since learning martial arts, stubborn determination welled within him.
“One last time, please.”
“At this rate I could do it a hundred times.”
Seo Yu-gyeom casually shook the tree again.
Then he noticed there were hardly any leaves left.
Just as he began wondering whether he should uproot another tree from the mountains somewhere, Jin Seong-un swung his sword with twice the determination as before—
And the sword touched the leaf.
More accurately, it touched everything.
Craaash—!
The iron sword failed to withstand Jin Seong-un’s intent and shattered into countless fragments that exploded outward in all directions.
Seeing Jin Seong-un suddenly blow up his sword, his friends scrambled in panic.
“You insane bastard!”
Moyong Hyeon and Seomun Ak cursed loudly while hastily raising their Protective Aura.
Even that was insufficient, so they also manifested Fist Aura and Sword Aura to deflect the shards.
Kwagagagang—!
Had their reactions been even slightly slower, sword fragments would have pierced their entire bodies.
Perhaps because their lives had genuinely felt threatened, the two reacted faster than ever before.
For some reason, only their training progress seemed to be improving.