NOVEL NEXT Chapter 854
True Martial Home
I began to learn the secret techniques of the Supreme Thief from the Supreme Thief himself.
He said, “Try transforming with the Yongbaek technique.”
A tool for using the Yongbaek technique was summoned in this space, and I executed the technique as instructed, changing my appearance. Once I had completely transformed into a different figure, the Supreme Thief observed me closely and said, “You’ve mastered not only the Yongbaek technique but other secret techniques as well. What is that?”
“…Taesul.”
“What?”
“Transformation technique!”
As I muttered softly, the Supreme Thief blinked and said, “Not a bad skill. It seems to be the technique of a significant master.”
“….”
“Even so, there are limits to that technique.”
“Limits?”
The Supreme Thief nodded.
“It appears that the technique accelerates the pulling of bones and muscles by harmonizing with your mind via the extreme application of reverse transformation. Am I correct?”
“That’s right.”
“It won’t last long, will it?”
As the Supreme Thief pointed out the shortcomings of the transformation technique in one breath, I flinched.
Just as he said, the transformation technique was an impressive form of reverse transformation. However, because it pulled bones and muscles at an incredible speed, it was impossible for the human body to maintain that form for long.
This was an issue I couldn’t resolve even with my infinite internal power. If I forced my internal power to maintain such rapid sculpting of my muscles, there was a risk my body would break down.
I said to the Supreme Thief, “There’s nothing I can do, is there? Theoretically, there can be no better reverse transformation technique than the transformation technique. It’s impossible to compress or pull the bones and muscles beyond this point.”
“That’s true. But theoretically, there is a reverse transformation technique that’s superior to that. This is where the Technique of All Things comes in.”
“Really? Even better than this?”
I looked at the Supreme Thief in disbelief. After all, every time I had used the transformation technique for thievery, no one—except for weirdos like Yong Junil—had noticed. The transformation technique was undeniably a top-notch reverse transformation technique, so how could there be something better?
The Supreme Thief said, “Once you reach the pinnacle of the Technique of All Things, it’s possible to maintain an even more seamless transformation for a long time.”
“……!!”
“If that happens, you’ll not only be able to steal but also hide anywhere you wish.”
“To think such a superior method of sculpting muscles exists…!!”
As I trembled in astonishment, the Supreme Thief shook his head.
“Oh, the Technique of All Things isn’t a muscle-sculpting technique. It utilizes muscle-sculpting but doesn’t pursue the extremes like the transformation technique does. The transformation technique is the only one that has reached its pinnacle.”
I sat there in confusion.
“Huh? I don’t understand. If it doesn’t pursue muscle-sculpting, then what principle does the reverse transformation technique adhere to?”
The Supreme Thief grinned. He then pulled out a mask from beside him and slowly covered his face with it.
“You’re borrowing the power of the mask.”
Whoosh!!
At that moment, the Supreme Thief’s figure suddenly transformed into that of a beautiful woman. I could tell that this moment of change was not due to muscle-sculpting; rather, it felt as if he had transformed into another figure the instant he wore the mask.
The Supreme Thief spoke with a woman’s voice. “See? The voice is definitely different, right?”
“…….”
“Hehe. Are you so surprised you can’t even speak?”
Swish
As the Supreme Thief touched his face again, the mask whooshed off, and he returned to his original appearance. I calmly observed his transformation and said, “That’s… a form of transformation technique or illusion technique, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. You’d think so.”
The Supreme Thief continued while resting his chin on his hand as he sat.
“In reality, no matter how much a human masters reverse transformation and disguise, it can never match the purification of transformation techniques, which is the essence of Taoist techniques. Transformation techniques hold overwhelming superiority over all reverse transformation techniques in the human world.”
“That’s right.”
Transformation techniques!
They were incredible forms of art that fulfilled the dream of humans wanting to become ‘something else.’ Naturally, they ranked among the highest in techniques, and every sorcerer in the continent wished to wield transformation techniques.
“However, it’s common that even a genius Taoist Master who has trained the Qimen Dunjia for decades fails to achieve transformation abilities. It’s said that to truly master transformation, one must train for at least a hundred years. Anyone who can freely use transformation techniques has already passed the threshold of employment and ascended to the realm of immortals, right?”
“That’s correct.”
That’s why Celestial Sage is so great. Even if he achieves just one, he can freely use as many as 72 forms of transformation techniques, all of which would make him on par with an immortal. Normally, a human could not achieve the ability to use transformation techniques even after training their entire life.
“Then, since the Technique of All Things isn’t a transformation technique, do you think of it as an illusion technique?”
“…….”
“You seem to be a bit lost. In reality, it’s closer to an illusion technique.”
“What are you getting at? What’s the main point?”
“The reason you practiced the Yongbaek technique of the Hundred Transformations was to prepare for achieving the higher technique of the Technique of All Things.”
Thud
The Supreme Thief snapped his fingers, sending a mask flying toward me, which I quickly caught.
As I stared at the mask, the Supreme Thief asked, “What kind of mask is that, and where is it used?”
I examined the mask before replying, “This is a mask symbolizing sorrow.”
The sorrow mask was another name for a specific kind of mask. The sorrow mask he had given me had droopy eyes and a downturned mouth, signifying sadness.
“Then how many sorrow masks are used in one performance of the Peking Opera?”
“Um… about fifty, perhaps?”
“You learned to swap fifty masks in the flow of the performance using the method of Bobocheonsim. If you learned that well, mastering the Technique of All Things won’t be hard for you.”
Having said this, the Supreme Thief held the mask in his hand, and I followed suit. Slowly donning the mask, the Supreme Thief instructed, “Change your mask ten times within five steps.”
Pop!
I did as he instructed. Once I finished changing masks, the Supreme Thief remarked, “Your speed is decent. No need for more basic training.”
“No matter how many masks I change, I can’t change my appearance like you did earlier.”
“Hey. Do you feel sad wearing the sorrow mask?”
“……?”
“Do you feel sad?”
What a weird question this was!
I was befuddled, but I managed to respond. “No.”
“Why aren’t you sad? The mask is sad, but why aren’t you sad?”
“Well, I mean… a mask is just a mask. Why should I feel sad just because I’m wearing it?”
“You fool. If you don’t understand that, you won’t be able to master the Technique of All Things.”
“Huh?”
“What is a mask? A mask is a personality. A top mask artist can change their personality every time they swap masks.”
Pop!
In that instant, the Supreme Thief changed his mask ten times in five steps, and surprisingly, with each mask, he transformed into a completely different person! The divine position was so unbelievable that I gasped, and the Supreme Thief, removing the mask, said, “You’ve already learned the way to ‘steal’ from me, so it shouldn’t be too hard for you.”
“Steal?”
“Yeah. Steal. What to steal? Steal the emotions and personalities of this mask and make them your own.”
“…….”
“If you can do that, mastering the Technique of All Things will be halfway done.”
Is that really possible?
Stealing the personality of a mask?
If I can take something that doesn’t exist and make it my own, could I really achieve that kind of transformation technique?
Since it was a mysterious skill, different from martial arts, I was bewildered and the Supreme Thief said, “Humans inherently live by stealing the personalities of others. A mask artist merely maximizes that ability, which is something every human is born with. The key is to understand what personality is and transform it into something tangible.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by living while stealing personalities.”
“Really? Do I need to explain all this to you?”
The Supreme Thief looked at me with disbelief and scratched his head.
“Damn… it seemed like you’ve had quite a tumultuous life. What happened through those experiences? Didn’t something change within you? You’ve met good people, bad people, weirdos, and all sorts of folks. Haven’t they changed your character or attitude in some way?”
“Ah….”
“While that can be said to be influenced by others, it can also be expressed as having ‘stolen’ their personalities. Because, whether good or bad, their personalities reflect like a mirror and project within you. That appearance remains inside you.”
I think I might get it.
I pondered the Supreme Thief’s words and countered, “But that’s not stealing. Even if their personalities leave waves in a relationship and become imprinted within me, their personalities haven’t changed. To steal means to take something from its place, so there should be nothing left at the stolen spot.”
“Oh! You seemed foolish, but it turns out you’re quite insightful!”
The Supreme Thief chuckled and replied, “You’ve stolen their personalities. Why? Because you were the only one impacted in the relationship. This means there’s no original form left, thus you can say you’ve ‘stolen’ it. Everything changes. You can absorb the fleeting presence of others.”
“……?”
What is he talking about…?
“Enough chatter. Try it out. Unless you become a top mask artist, I can’t teach you the Technique of All Things properly.”
Stealing the personality of a mask…
This training was entirely new for me, so I stammered while continually changing masks, trying to adapt my heart to the emotions each mask represented. But it was no ordinary task, and adapting my heart at the speed of changing masks seemed entirely impossible.
Hisss
“Hey, that’s not it. You can’t just change your expression according to joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, right?”
“Ugh.”
“Try again!”
I attempted relentlessly for what felt like an eternity, but ended up exhausted, saying to the Supreme Thief, “Can you give me a clue? How can I change my heart that quickly?”
“Why? Do you think you need to have a split personality with dozens of personalities to do this training? It’s not like that.”
“…….”
“This isn’t about differentiating your personality. It’s about ‘stealing’ while firmly holding on to your own.”
While I was still grappling with understanding, the Supreme Thief sighed as if I was hopeless.
“Listen, there are colors in this world.”
“Yes, there are.”
“If you mix all the colors in the world, what color do you get?”
“You get black.”
“If the result isn’t black, when could that happen?”
“…….”
“That’s the clue. Now figure it out.”
Mixing all colors yet not getting black…
I felt perplexed as it seemed like a riddle and continued to switch masks. After changing masks countless times and memorizing all the colors and forms, I suddenly felt like I understood something.
‘Yeah. I acknowledge it!’
Hisss!!
“Oh yes! That’s it!”
When I attempted my newly thought-out method, the Supreme Thief gasped in surprise. It felt as though the emotions within the mask were quickly shifting.
“Ah.”
Did I finally pass?
As I sighed in relief, the Supreme Thief asked, “How did you do it?”
“Well… I acknowledged it.”
“What did you acknowledge?”
“I can’t understand the emotions that others feel. The expression indicated on the mask is just a manifestation of the emotions I thought up inside my head, but since each observer feels differently about the mask’s emotions… um… so….”
I stumbled over my words, and the Supreme Thief helped clarify.
“You realized what it felt like to enact an invented emotion, and you acknowledged that a mask artist is one who creates that ‘falsehood.’ That means ‘stealing’ something that doesn’t truly exist.”
“Yes.”
Perhaps this could be the answer to the riddle of ‘black.’ To avoid getting black when mixing all colors, the painter’s color must not mix in; one must view it from a detached perspective to prevent it.
“Hehe. You’re a poor talker, but you’re right.”
The Supreme Thief chuckled and said, “Now that you’ve become a top mask artist, I’ll reveal the crux of the Technique of All Things.”
“The crux is…?”
“Like what you just did—creating emotions while simultaneously stealing a virtual personality… steal the personality from the mask while blending your intent.”
“……!!”
Blend my intent?!
Caught off guard by this unexpected information, the Supreme Thief continued, “Originally, it’s impossible for a human to transform purely through intent, isn’t it? If it were possible, the experts who wield the Mind Control Technique would have transformed into anything.”
“The reason is… the power of humans is too weak to actualize intent in this world.”
“Precisely. That’s why you wear the mask.”
Whoosh
“The mask serves as a medium to specialize your intent. I, too, wear the ‘stolen’ personality… With that powerful self-suggestion, your intent can locally alter reality. So, at least while wearing the mask, you’ll become a ‘different person’ and can deceive reality.”
I desperately tried to understand, but I couldn’t quite grasp it.
“This explanation is hard to follow…”
“Just take it as it is. I, too, developed this Technique of All Things not through self-study but from ancient sorcery techniques I inherited and advanced on my own.”
“Ancient sorcery techniques?”
“Yeah. It seems like a secret technique from the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, but I don’t know the name. Regardless, it was useful for me, so I polished it and advanced it further.”
Having said this, the Supreme Thief instructed me, “Now, give it a try.”
Swoosh
“……!!”
Indeed!
I realized that in the moment I stole the personality, my body completely changed. It definitely wasn’t an illusion technique; I had transformed into a new human being and appearance I had envisioned. But just as the wonder struck, I suddenly reverted back to my original form and was flabbergasted.
‘Why did the transformation wear off so quickly?’
The Supreme Thief spoke as if he had expected this. “You need more masks.”
“Why is that?”
“Due to lack of experience.”
He slowly walked forward.
“The personality you stole through the mask was but a fleeting moment, wasn’t it? To maintain those emotions and personalities longer, you need more experience and introspection within. That’s how you can deceive and distort the world skillfully.”
“Um….”
“The proficiency of a mask artist determines the strength of the technique. Here’s where the real training begins.”
Crash!
The Supreme Thief summoned a massive graveyard of masks. There were so many masks that the size of the graveyard could easily fit five houses. Seeing the overwhelming number of masks brought a shocked expression to my face, and the Supreme Thief said, “If you can’t handle at least a thousand masks in succession, you can’t call yourself the Technique of All Things!”