NOVEL NEXT Chapter 845
Chapter 845: True Martial Home
I responded to Yeodong-bin’s words.
“Why is that?”
[His way of handling martial arts somehow feels connected to the path I should take. I want to grasp the flow by testing swords directly.]
At that moment, I let out a sigh.
‘ It’s a personal reason…’
Suddenly, I realized I had never seen an immortal as focused on personal pursuit as Yeodong-bin. Jang Sam-bong had also encountered a martial god like Yeodong-bin, so while he was dedicated to martial arts, he wasn’t hoarding his cause and effect like Yeodong-bin was to accumulate power and elevate his abilities. I couldn’t claim to have seen many immortals, but Yeodong-bin was undoubtedly a rare breed.
I said to Yeodong-bin, “Yeodong-bin, I’ve heard that the Celestial Realm has become chaotic, and the Queen Mother of the West has issued an order for immortals to refrain from entry. Yet, is there a reason you responded so promptly to my summons?”
[I have received permission.]
“…The Queen Mother granted you permission?”
[Indeed.]
At that moment, I realized the Queen Mother had begun to take an interest in me. She could have forbidden Yeodong-bin’s spirit summoning but instead chose to grant permission, which meant she viewed my connection with Yeodong-bin as unique enough to warrant oversight. This curiosity was likely related to the recent turmoil involving the Moon Sovereign.
‘ The Celestial Realm’s surveillance has already begun. However, it seems they can’t pinpoint me as the culprit yet.’
This was sufficiently predictable, so I spoke to Yeodong-bin without revealing my thoughts.
“I’m sorry, but that won’t do.”
[Why is that?]
“With your help, taking down Musashi wouldn’t be too difficult. But if I rely on spirit summoning, there’s a limit to the understanding I can gain. I need to defeat Musashi and rise to a higher plane.”
Yeodong-bin’s eyes shone with interest at my words.
[Are you truly seeking enlightenment with the determination to face death?]
“As a martial artist, that is only natural. My resolve has just been delayed.”
As I calmly replied, Yeodong-bin said,
[A commendable attitude. Then, I shall take my leave…]
“Yeodong-bin, please wait a moment.”
For some reason, it felt wasteful to send him back just like that. Couldn’t I obtain more through Yeodong-bin? I wanted to dig deeper into his background since he had been summoned, so I desperately racked my brain.
I decided to review each of the martial arts I had learned so far. In doing so, I realized there was a martial art I had never practiced.
‘ The Secret Manual of the Supreme Thief from Longmen Grottoes!’
I quickly took out the Supreme Thief’s secret manual. The title read “Hundred Transformations of the Divine Thief,” and just like before, it was filled with shoddy techniques intended for thieves. Techniques like wall-climbing and pickpocketing, stealth arts, etc., were of little practical use in combat.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to master the Hundred Transformations. Perhaps it was because I felt a significant sense of discomfort.
‘ The Supreme Thief was an expert that even Yeodong-bin felt wary of! He must have achieved the Absolute Realm in his lifetime… It’s strange that such an expert’s manual contains these third-rate arts!’
Thanks to my skills in the Peerless Technique, I had reached a decent proficiency in the Seven Great Techniques, and only then was I able to shift my focus to the discomfort of another martial art. Once again, I called for Yeodong-bin and showed him the secret manual of the Hundred Transformations.
“Yeodong-bin! This is the martial arts secret manual from the Supreme Thief, the Hundred Transformations. Please take a look.”
[……!!]
Yeodong-bin looked at me with astonishment. He took the secret manual and read it thoroughly for about half a moment. After a while, he said,
[No. This isn’t the martial art of the Supreme Thief.]
“How can you be so certain?”
[I have measured the martial arts of the Supreme Thief in my lifetime. The flying knife techniques and divine techniques he used back then were nothing like what’s written here. I doubt it even reaches the limit of foundational skills.]
“I see. Then, can I still learn these martial arts?”
[…I think of it as a kind of code.]
“A code?”
[The Supreme Thief spent his life searching for treasures. If I were him, I would have passed on my martial arts to someone capable of carrying on my legacy in pursuit of treasures. It’s likely that by mastering these martial arts, you might uncover that code.]
Got it!
‘ The real martial art of the Supreme Thief will reveal itself when I master these shabby third-rate techniques?’
I understood the meaning behind Yeodong-bin’s words.
Yeodong-bin continued,
[If you intend to learn these martial arts, I think it would be wise to give up.]
“Why is that?”
[The Supreme Thief was a rare peerless master of his time, though he had a rather poor temperament. It’s certain he placed hidden conditions on other than simply mastering the Hundred Transformations. For an ordinary person, just finding those hidden conditions could take a lifetime.]
“Umm…”
That made sense. Given that I had already learned quite a few martial arts where mastering them was rare, adding more to my repertoire felt burdensome. Purposely delving into third-rate arts would not be a wise choice if I was wasting my talents.
‘ But I still need to learn it.’
However, I internally resolved myself to learn it. After all, I was a reborn person; I had plenty of time to spare. Also, the Supreme Thief had devoted his life to tracing the Xuanyuan Sword’s remnants, so I had to track down his traces to obtain clues about the sword. Finding the ‘hidden conditions’ might be challenging, but I felt it was doable.
Moreover, there could potentially be a lead to take down Musashi!
After sending Yeodong-bin back, I began practicing the martial arts contained within the Hundred Transformations secret manual. There were eight techniques recorded in the five volumes of the Hundred Transformations.
Fist Techniques – Dog Beat Fist
Palm Techniques – Huge Giant Palm
Flying Knife Techniques – White White Knife
Transformation Techniques – Use Hundred Transformations
Pickpocketing – One Hand Seize Gold
Body Techniques – Mouse Life Escape
Wall-Climbing Techniques – Confucius Says
Stealth Techniques – Mencius Says
“……”
Reading through them properly, all the martial art names felt incredibly half-hearted and cheap.
‘ Does Confucius Say and Mencius Say imply he hated Confucian scholars?’
Muttering, I began to examine the essence of each martial art carefully. It turned out that the martial prowess was practically completed within the Dog Beat Fist and Huge Giant Palm, while the remaining six techniques were merely for escape or thievery. At least, Dog Beat Fist and Huge Giant Palm were so straightforward that one could memorize their essentials within a day.
“……”
These techniques felt like they were tailored for punks. Even a third-rate thief of Jianghu would likely learn them. Would mastering all of them even allow me to leap over a rich family’s fence? They felt like rubbish arts, and I couldn’t see any practical use for them. Even combined, they paled in comparison to Thunder God Fist or Thunder Cloud Palm…
I deliberated whether I should learn a trash martial art with the insight of an expert. I tightly closed my eyes and decided to learn them.
Starting with Dog Beat Fist, I proceeded through the ten moves one by one. And upon mastering it, I realized I’d get killed in just a second by the Thunder God lineage’s martial artist. There was no skill or flair—just a clumsy brawl thrown together with no internal power operation.
Likewise, I completed the Huge Giant Palm and White White Knife techniques before half a moment had passed. It wasn’t so much that I had impressive talents, but rather that with superior martial arts already mastered, understanding these lower-tier skills was as easy as breathing. Furthermore, I could easily tell these were also trash martial arts.
However, One Hand Seize Gold required some actual knack. I could grasp the essentials of the technique, but I needed to put it into practice.
‘ Do I have to pickpocket…?’
Me, a pickpocket…?
I’ve never even stooped to that kind of pathetic act in my first life…
…
‘Damn… Am I really too picky? Let’s give it a go.’
I determined to give it a try and entered Luoyang Castle. Picking a random target, I began to pocket seize using the fundamentals of One Hand Seize Gold. Utilizing the senses of an expert, I performed it at lightning speed, making sure no one noticed my theft.
Success!
I accomplished the act of pickpocketing effortlessly and proceeded to master the body technique, the Mouse Life Escape, along with the wall-climbing technique, Confucius Says, and the stealth technique, Mencius Says. The techniques of Confucius Says and Mencius Says were essentially methods of using internal power, so I could learn them instantly upon seeing them, while Mouse Life Escape turned out to be surprisingly useful. I could consider it on par with the main techniques of the Nine Great Sects.
Did these techniques excel simply due to being thieving arts?
I realized I wouldn’t be able to master Mouse Life Escape today, so I would need to diligently train it for a few days. Lastly, I turned to the transformation technique, Use Hundred Transformations, and found it was not easy at all. The reason for this was that it was based on a technique from the opera troupe, which required considerable finesse and achievement in training. However, the worth in mastering Use Hundred Transformations seemed promising since it could allow me to completely change into another person even in broad daylight.
‘ Use Hundred Transformations is viable. I need to master this properly.’
Though it hadn’t happened much so far, mastering Use Hundred Transformations would expand my strategies. I decided to focus on training both Mouse Life Escape and Use Hundred Transformations, and to learn the latter, I would seek out an opera troupe in Luoyang. Asking around, I soon found a nearby troupe known as the Moon Theatre.
The leader of the Moon Theatre was a gray-haired young man with vague eyes, who looked at me with renewed interest and said,
“Ah, a noble person has arrived… What brings you here?”
“I’d like to learn transformation techniques and need the help of an expert.”
“Transformation techniques, huh…”
“I’ll share the secrets of my secret manual. So please assist me.”
“Very well. I’ll teach you.”
With that, the young man slowly bowed and said, “My name is Guiying… Noble person, do remember it.”
“Guiying? What a unique name…”
Guiying merely smiled in silence. Eventually, I showed him the secret manual of Use Hundred Transformations. After examining it closely, he said,
“To learn this transformation technique, you’ll need a mask.”
“A mask? Aren’t there many hanging in the theatre? Just give me one. I’ll pay generously.”
“No. A mask suited to you must be specially crafted. Moreover, masks are imbued with fate…”
After saying this, Guiying glanced at me and added,
“The mask that fits you does not exist in our troupe. Only you can create it… However, I can lend you a temporary mask to practice with, one that avoids fate…”
Swoosh!
I wore the mask given by Guiying and practiced Use Hundred Transformations all day long. Learning how to change masks, how to infuse internal power while changing the mask to temporarily alter the appearance, and methods of makeup. On that day, I slept overnight in the Moon Theatre’s tent and began practicing Use Hundred Transformations and Mouse Life Escape again the next morning.
In this manner, about a month passed.
‘ Wow… Time flies.’
I was surprised that the time it took to learn what I had thought would be simple third-rate arts like Use Hundred Transformations and Mouse Life Escape was taking longer than expected. Also, despite my talent, learning was quite enjoyable and fascinating. I figured becoming a master thief and living that life could be fun too.
*Clap!*
When I could change masks up to nine times within a span of three steps using Use Hundred Transformations, Guiying clapped and said,
“Well done. Now you can train by yourself.”
“No. I wish to keep practicing.”
Now is the time for training.
Zhuge Sa had instructed me to capture Musashi, but the urgency wasn’t so pressing that I must do it immediately. Instead, adequate preparation was required, so I planned to take about a year to do so. I intended to polish the techniques of the Hundred Transformations and prepare to trace the Supreme Thief’s trails later on.
But then Guiying smiled slyly and said,
“However, that mask has outlived its purpose…”
“What?”
“It can no longer be used.”
*Crumble!*
“Ah!”
In that instant, the practice mask Guiying had given me shattered into sand. When I stared at the remnants of the mask in surprise, Guiying scooped up the sand with his hands and said,
“Having met a noble person drawn by the great law of cause and effect brings me great satisfaction. That secret manual you hold could significantly alter your fate, so I pray you can continue training and resolve the great misfortune that blocks your way…”
“……?”
“But… how curious is this… Generally, misfortunes can be resolved, but… it has contorted to become your mirror… your mask… perhaps your other essence… Such a fortune I’ve never seen even after living through countless ages… Haha… Such confusion is unfitting even for Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen.”
I felt something strange.
I then asked Guiying, “What are you?”
“I was a spirit in ancient times, a servant of the emperor… but I became a fortune teller that could not ascend and remained on this land.”
As Guiying scattered the sand of the mask into the void, he walked away.
“Farewell, unnamed one…”
*Whoosh!*
In that moment, I realized I had shifted from the Moon Theatre’s tent to the streets of Luoyang. I then asked a passerby standing in front of me,
“Excuse me! Have you heard of a troupe called the Moon Theatre?”
“I haven’t.”
However, unlike before, no one had any recollection of the Moon Theatre. It had been said to be a famous troupe visiting Luoyang, yet it felt like it had never happened. Even more astonishing was that not a single moment had elapsed since I began my training a month ago. It was as if that month’s time had slipped by like a mirage since my arrival in Luoyang.
‘ Could it be that Guiying distorted my time and space?’
If that’s the case, then Guiying had effectively granted me an entire month’s worth of training for free.
What kind of being was he?
I returned to the Zhuge Clan, feeling bewildered, and recounted the unusual events that had transpired. As soon as Zhuge Sa heard my tale, he said,
“That’s likely the spirit of the Four Spirits.”
“The Four Spirits?”
“Did you forget? The Four Spirits, Lin, Feng, Gui, Long. The most revered divine beasts in history by Daoism. Among them, Feng is the phoenix, and Long is, as you know, Shenglong.”
“……!!”
“You reversed their names, didn’t you? So you didn’t catch on.”
Oh right!
Upon hearing Zhuge Sa’s words, I was taken aback and exclaimed,
“You mean the creature that supported the mythical Mount Penglai was that Guiying?”
“Precisely. That creature is likely on par with Shenglong. A spirit that has withstood ages alongside the Mother of Earth Deity. So he probably manipulated the ‘small wheel of fate’ to give you training time and forecast your future fortunes and misfortunes. He is said to be the greatest fortune teller in the world.”
Zhuge Sa replied, intrigued.
“Though I’ve never known that the spirit was once a servant of the emperor.”
“……”
Listening to Zhuge Sa, my heart grew heavy as I said,
“Zhuge Sa, if the spirit Guiying was drawn to me by the law of cause and effect…”
“Then that signifies the Heavenly Secret and your past life’s accumulated cause and effect have begun to exert powerful gravity. Strong cause and effect bear strong attraction.”
“Hmmm.”
“That’s not a good sign. The clash with that ‘singularity’ is likely to become more intense than anticipated.”
“Damn…”
“But there’s a positive aspect to this.”
“What’s that?”
Zhuge Sa chuckled lightly.
“The secret manual of the Hundred Transformations could possess the power to change your fate. After all, it was recognized by the existence on the level of Shenglong.”