NOVEL NEXT Chapter 844
Chapter 844: The True Martial Home
“So you’re saying you want to use the Soul Exchange Technique on Miyamoto Musashi to unlock the Lunar Kill Technique?”
I felt a bit dazed at Zhuge Sa’s scheme, but I quickly gathered my senses.
“Zhuge Sa! He’s a master of the Absolute Realm. You can’t just treat him like any random guy…”
“Do you think the cat will listen to the mouse asking for a bell?”
“A bit.”
“It’s tough if you’re the mouse, but you’re not one.”
“What?”
Zhuge Sa let out a short sigh.
“Ha… If it’s purely about martial arts, then, yes, you’d naturally be weaker than Musashi. But if you don’t mind using dirty tricks, you can definitely surpass him.”
“……”
“I feel like telling you the full strategy might not help you, so this time, you’ll have to think for yourself on how to catch Musashi.”
“Umm… got it.”
It seemed Zhuge Sa believed that if I pulled out all my potential, I could take down Musashi on my own. It was embarrassing since I had leaned on him too much. After a moment, I asked Zhuge Sa.
“It’s great getting the Lunar Kill Technique, but won’t it be pointless if I learn it now?”
“Why would it be pointless?”
“Because it’s originally a martial art meant for top-notch geniuses, and Musashi essentially recreated it. It’s different from the Seven Great Techniques or any other classical martial arts. Plus, I already know a lot of martial arts, so it’s not necessarily needed…”
“While that’s true in a martial arts context…”
Zhuge Sa glanced at me and continued.
“But at the same time, it’s the only absolute martial art created with the goal of achieving ‘Divine Killing’.”
“……!!”
“While the divine arts from the Four Great Families or the Seven Great Techniques aren’t necessarily inferior to the Lunar Kill Technique, they have different symbolism. The inheritance aimed directly at Divine Killing is uniquely found in the Lunar Kill Technique. That means there must surely be mythical secrets behind its heritage. Why? Because if you don’t recognize the God that rules over the darkness of this world, the concept of Divine Killing wouldn’t even exist.”
“Hmm.”
It was a reasonable point.
“And no matter how much of a genius Miyamoto Musashi is, he can’t recreate something that doesn’t exist. Especially not an absolute martial art. He must have had at least one ‘master’, be it in books, ruins, or personal mentors. Chasing those clues is what will reveal the truth behind the Lunar Kill Technique.”
“I see.”
“While we’re at it, let’s also find out what situation he was in when he confronted the King of the Life Sea using the Soul Exchange Technique.”
As I stepped away from Zhuge Sa, I thought to myself, ‘Hmm… how do I catch Musashi?’
Actually finding Miyamoto Musashi is easy. He’s currently working as a special investigator for the Twelve Joules, using his Absolute Realm skills to hide his aura while keeping an eye on the unusual activities in the Imperial Palace. Although he might not be there, based on my past life experiences, it’s highly likely he is.
From the perspective of the Twelve Joules Lord, having Musashi stationed in the palace means he can gather real-time intel on the palace’s magical forces — the very forces he should be most wary of — all while being an unassailable master of the Absolute Realm.
But what do I do once I find him?
Sure, I can call him out to me. Out of curiosity, Musashi would likely show himself when sensing an aura like mine, especially with his personality filled with pride and confidence.
The real problem comes after that. If I confront him head-on with just my bare hands, I might hold my ground, but I won’t find the opening to use the Soul Exchange Technique. I need at least twenty breaths of closeness to use the technique on an unguarded Musashi, and getting that kind of opportunity against an absolute master like him is nearly impossible.
With the basic skills I know — techniques like spells or magic — I can’t create openings with Musashi. At the very least, I’d need to be a high-level sorcerer to make it work, but I don’t possess that level of skill. It’s clear that techniques like Shadow Skill or Stealth Technique won’t work against someone of the Absolute Realm. Using my top-tier spell, the Evil Spirit Art, isn’t an option either, since it would kill Musashi instead of giving him a chance to endure. I can’t just kill him since I need the Soul Exchange Technique, and wasting something like that on Musashi feels wrong.
Then again, I could rely on the Moon Sovereign and the Great Destruction technique.
If I engage in battle while employing the Three Divine Tools to their full potential, I could fight Musashi on an even higher level. However, that’s just speculation, and I had no idea what would happen in an actual confrontation with a master of the Absolute Realm. Since the Absolute Realm is a level where the laws of nature are twisted, it’s impossible to predict how Musashi’s genius combat instincts will shape the battle.
“If I use Great Destruction, I can definitely take down Musashi. But…”
I wasn’t confident enough to rely on that. While activating Great Destruction would massively boost my combat power, I wouldn’t be able to suppress my own skills well enough to avoid killing him. Listing to the spirits after killing him would be too much of a dark art, doing something inhuman was definitely out of the question. While Musashi might have a cocky attitude, he wasn’t necessarily a wicked individual.
Also, surviving after unleashing Great Destruction would require the Life Force Sharing technique, and the only one who could currently use it with me is Zhuge Sa. I couldn’t afford to drain Zhuge Sa’s life further, as he already had too much on his plate, thus making Great Destruction a tough option.
Should I still somehow charge at Musashi…?
If only I had the National Seal! Using its spirit to amplify my strength would’ve been worth a shot, but giving it to the Prophet as payment stings. While the information was valuable, it’s frustrating when I actually need the power.
Lost in thought, a classical saying flickered in my mind.
“Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.”
“Oh wait! I actually have the experience of Musashi training the Sword Demon…!!”
Using the connection of Mangnyang through the steady flow of memories! Musashi had given special training to his comrades, including the Sword Demon, while preparing them against the attack of the Eight Parts of the Divine. Until now, I hadn’t paid much attention to that memory, but perhaps within those training records lies a way to face Musashi.
I headed to the Jangryeong Valley and entered a meditative state, attempting to revive those memories.
[It’s a passion bordering on madness. All masters have their unique convictions, but those who progress with a conviction beyond that can abandon everything… Such persons can kill even a Buddha upon encountering one… only such individuals can elevate their ‘level’.]
[You cannot breakthrough like me or that Jin So-cheong with overwhelming talent! Therefore, you must bypass through the philosophy with madness.]
[Do you have a training method in mind?]
[Practicing a million slashes.]
That’s what Musashi made the Sword Demon, Bright Dragon, Cheongwol, and Extreme Tiger do — practice a million slashes. Saying a million is easy, but swinging that many times in a single day is nothing short of torture. They swung their blades all day long without rest, their arms ready to snap.
Ouch!
Even just reading about that training caused a phantom soreness to shoot through me. No matter how much of a master you are, a million strikes are definitely no joke. The other three collapsed from exhaustion during training, but only the Sword Demon continued on, transcending their limits to endure.
Finally, after the million slashes, Musashi finally began discussing martial matters.
[Look, Sword Demon. What exists in this void?]
[Nothing exists.]
[The state of non-existence is also ‘being’.]
Swoosh!!
At that moment, Musashi slashed through the void itself. The Sword Demon, seeing such a technique unfold before him, momentarily forgot his fatigue in astonishment, while Musashi calmly sheathed his sword and coldly stated,
“If you think everything in this world is ‘being,’ then you can cut through anything. To achieve that realm, your sword must become ‘nothing’. This doesn’t mean aiming for ‘nothingness’ but granting ‘emptiness’ to yourself. This is the essence of the martial discussion I’ve polished, the ultimate meaning of the Book of Five Relationships.”
“Are you perhaps referring to the Primordial Void?”
“I don’t know what that is. But I felt that in order to kill everything, one must first be able to kill oneself.”
Swoosh…
Musashi’s body gradually grew hazy until he completely vanished from that space. He had cut his own aura, effectively blocking his presence from the world. Musashi then used the Six Harmonies Assembly to instruct the Sword Demon.
“You’ve cut a million times while forgetting yourself in a state of pure intention. Now, forget your own six senses and realize ‘emptiness.’”
“……!!”
“Cut through the ‘void’ with the feeling of ’emptiness’. Slice what does not exist!”
The Sword Demon closed his eyes. And, by completely nullifying all of his five senses while starting to annihilate even his sixth sense, he began to transcend towards that high realm. Born with an exceptional martial talent, he understood Musashi’s advice like it was a divine revelation. Moments later, when Musashi had concealed himself, he showed up before the Sword Demon and struck once.
Clang!!
At that moment, the swords of the Sword Demon and Musashi clashed. The ambush that came from behind without any forewarning was easily blocked by the Sword Demon as he detected Musashi’s strike with Absolute Realm intuition! Musashi, retracting his sword, grinned in satisfaction.
“I’ve done this thousands of times with Kojiro, but he’s still clueless… You’ve now taken your first step into the Absolute Realm.”
After that, the Sword Demon fully grasped the essence of the Absolute Realm during the rest of his time. Of course, the Sword Demon and Musashi fought two more times after that, ending in mutual destruction, but there was undeniably the legacy of the Grand Master’s spirit in their training.
Once I fully absorbed that memory, I pondered.
Is the key to the Lunar Kill Technique ‘emptiness’?
“By emptying oneself and regarding everything else as ‘being,’ it allows one to make it possible to ‘cut’ — is that the essence of Musashi’s Absolute Realm?”
It gave off vibes similar to the Buddhist concept of ‘emptiness’, yet it was entirely different. Musashi’s emptiness was imbued with violent aggression and extreme murderous intent. Moreover, he didn’t use emptiness as a means of enlightenment but honed it into a sharp weapon.
“Should I prepare then?”
As I watched the duel between the Sword Demon and Musashi, I decided to replay Musashi’s techniques mentally.
“Here we go!”
Closing my eyes and meditating, I began to replay the battle between the Sword Demon and Musashi in my mind. It was like a virtual sparring session.
Swoosh…
In the darkness, two figures clashed. One was Musashi, and the other was the Sword Demon.
I synched with the Sword Demon and started to feel the way he fought, slowly replaying the duel.
Musashi’s strong attack came crashing down like a bottle breaking. I knew this duel well enough that I recognized it was a clever technique aimed at counterattacking. So, as I embodied the Sword Demon, I used the Shadowless Soul Stealing Sword Technique and executed the Left Capture Soul to strike back at Musashi.
“Knowing the answer means I won’t fail… Wait, what?”
Clang!
But at the moment I unleashed the Left Capture Soul, Musashi’s initial strike broke right through my defenses, and he slashed down my shoulder and chest. It was a fatal blow that would kill in an instant, leaving my mind spiraling into confusion.
How could this happen? I followed the sequence correctly, yet why…?
Gasp!
The next moment, the Sword Demon’s head flew off in the virtual duel. I halted the memory replay, sitting up wide-eyed.
“……!!”
What just happened?
Panicking in confusion over my wrong solution, I attempted to replay the virtual sparring again, but once again, I met the same fate of being struck down first.
I couldn’t understand why this was happening. It was chaos, so this time I decided to defend differently instead of embodying the Sword Demon. Yet with that change, I still met the same outcome of defeat.
“Damn it! I have to keep trying until it works…”
With that mindset, I attempted the sparring hundreds of times before finally experiencing an epiphany about the root cause.
The gap in pure skill.
I was instinctually sensing the difference in skill between myself and the masters of the Absolute Realm. So, even though I executed the same technique, since I fell short of the Sword Demon’s caliber back then, the results were preordained! This virtual sparring reflected the reality of my limitations.
“Ugh…”
It feels like I’m back at square one again!
Am I just wasting time being an idiot?
I could just overpower Musashi using my sorcery, so why the stubborn desire to engage in head-on combat?
I had an avalanche of thoughts, but I soon bit my lip in frustration. With a fierce declaration, I shouted,
“No!!”
I can’t keep staring at the Absolute Realm in awe!
I can’t be in a position to marvel at the Absolute Realm!
With stronger foes around by tens or hundreds of times over, how long will I keep dawdling like this?!
“I will break through, no matter what!!”
With conviction, I restarted the virtual sparring. Ultimately, this virtual training yielded the most realistic outcome based on my memories and experience, suggesting that I didn’t just hold a single ‘correct’ answer that Musashi laid out for me. I decided to mobilize every aspect of the Shadowless Soul Stealing Sword Technique to break through Musashi’s bottle-breaking counterattack.
Swoosh!
How many times have I ended up decapitated? I’ve already run this scenario two hundred and fifty times and still haven’t made a successful counterattack. Unless I can sustain a sequence of defending against Musashi’s ultimate fast sword strikes in a manner that makes sense, there’s no hope to proceed. It’s as if my mastery of the Shadowless Soul Stealing Sword Technique doesn’t even come close to touching the level of the Sword Demon.
So, I need to use my most familiar and well-practiced martial art.
After attempting the Peerless Technique against Musashi’s strikes, I confirmed that I did block his attack, but I stiffened afterwards and met my demise with the Sword Demon’s neck lopped off right after. It was during this virtual duel that I discovered what went wrong while using the Peerless Technique.
“Aha! It’s my experience against the Celestial Sage! If Musashi has the same skill in cutting through my vulnerabilities as the Celestial Sage, he could break through…”
I realized how plausible that could be. Just like how the Celestial Sage led me into my vulnerabilities, Musashi could do the same. I embraced all my worries and repeatedly played through countless simulations in my mind.
……
After about ten nights of sleepless thought, I entered a phase where I had tested over twelve thousand five hundred variations in my virtual sparring with clear conclusions.
“Understanding ‘emptiness’ is key…”
After replaying the duel countless times, I felt like I had a firm grasp on Musashi’s martial foundation.
‘Emptiness.’
The difference between the Sword Demon and me was whether I could comprehend and respond to Musashi’s state of supreme emptiness. If I understood that, I could defend or dodge from any technique; but failing to understand would render any technique utterly meaningless.
Yet, I couldn’t fully grasp it. I could feel the laws warping, creating something unusual around Musashi, but how could I block or evade? The very flow ripped apart intentions, making my current level powerless against it.
Face up against this wall, I had no choice but to call for Yeodong-bin.
[O Dharma Protector, what calls you here?]
It seemed to be the first time in this life I summoned him.
“I seem to be blocked at the wall of martial arts… what does ‘emptiness’ mean?”
I spoke about my worries to Yeodong-bin, and as he listened, he seemed to ponder for a long time.
[O Dharma Protector, I have a request.]
“What is it?”
Yeodong-bin gazed at me with serene and pure eyes, stating.
[I wish to borrow your body for a brief moment to challenge that Musashi.]