NOVEL NEXT Chapter 235
Chapter 235: Ten Years Polished One Sword
At the same time.
Beijing.
In Shichahai, famous for its luxurious mansions belonging to high-ranking officials.
With a beautiful landscape along the waterways, Shichahai was a wealthy district where powerful elites and prestigious officials resided.
Yeon Sobak of the Imperial Secretariat.
As a big shot in the Donglim Party, his mansion was also located in Shichahai.
Around the Imperial Secretariat mansion, soldiers in golden attire were surrounding the area, brandishing torches.
“Traitor Yeon Sobak, who colluded with the Blood Sect! His Majesty has ordered your immediate capture! You, the traitor Yeon Sobak, step out at once!”
Hyulma.
Just after he received word that the Demon was active in Jiangsu Province.
Crown Princess Hwangje Juga-yul immediately dispatched Cheonranggaek, the soldiers in golden attire, and Yujinhwi to the Imperial Secretariat mansion.
Of course, they had already been closely monitoring Yeon Sobak beforehand.
Cheonranggaek brandished a written edict and slammed the gavel against the ground, shouting.
Kuwung!
An explosive sound echoed.
However, the door did not open.
“The presence of the Imperial Secretariat remains inside. Daein.”
Yujinhwi, cloaked in dark attire and wearing a bamboo hat, spoke towards Cheonranggaek. Cheonranggaek stroked his long beard and replied, “Then we must capture him at once. That’s why we are here.”
Cheonranggaek laughed heartily.
Cheonranggaek, commander of the Golden Restricted Position soldiers.
A lifetime dedicated to martial affairs, he was a loyal minister devoted only to the empire.
To him, the Blood Sect was an evil foe deserving of obliteration.
Crown Princess Hwangje Juga-yul.
It would be a lie to say there were no grievances against her, as she had effectively usurped the throne by ousting the other princes.
However, once Hwangje made it known that her actions were necessary to root out the Blood Sect’s infiltrators within the palace, those grievances vanished without a trace.
As she said, the first prince and the second prince were deeply entangled with the Blood Sect.
Had one of them ascended to the throne, the Ming Empire would have fallen directly under the control of the Blood Sect.
Thus, Cheonranggaek obediently followed the Crown Princess’s command to unite the martial world’s masters.
Cheonranggaek kicked the main gate with his foot.
Kwa-aaaang!
The door shattered.
Beyond it lay a vast courtyard. In the center stood a figure.
A skinny old scholar in pure white garb greeted them with a gentle smile.
“It’s been a while, Commander. Have you been well?”
“You speak too much for a traitor! Yeon Sobak of the Blood Sect, prepare to be captured at once. If you comply, I promise to send you off painlessly.”
“Come now! Hahahahahaha! If you’re making such a point, that means you’ve come here already knowing everything, haven’t you?”
The old scholar, Yeon Sobak, smiled kindly. He was well aware of the Crown Princess. She never acted without clear evidence. With Cheonranggaek mobilized, there must be decisive proof on her side.
Indeed, that proof was the identity of the Dragon Holding Demon Lord from the Blood Sect. Thus, politically, there was no way for him to survive.
The only remaining option was to fight back with sheer force.
His slitted eyes lit up.
His small body suddenly swelled.
Pachutzuzuzuzuzuzu!
With an overwhelming aura, his robe tore and fluttered. Revealing enormous muscles beneath it, the extraordinary master of external power stood there.
The face of the now-mighty Yeon Sobak twisted grotesquely.
“Cheonranggaek! No matter how much you consider yourself the best of the palace, you cannot defeat me!!”
Yeon Sobak’s voice boomed.
Seeing this, Cheonranggaek laughed. Kuhng! He struck the ground with his weapon.
“As a martial artist, I eagerly desire to finish this one-on-one life-and-death duel with you, but as a general, I cannot do that.”
“What nonsense is this?”
“The Crown Princess anticipated your defiance. Therefore, she has provided me with additional support.”
With Cheonranggaek’s words, Yujinhwi threw off her dark cloak. Yeon Sobak’s expression twisted. He had only seen her as Cheonranggaek’s secret signal.
But when the mask was removed, she revealed herself to be the rising star of the Martial World.
Yujinhwi of the Gongdong Alliance.
Officially known for reaching the stage of Hwakyung, she was recognized as a super master in the martial realm.
Cold glances from Yujinhwi fell upon Yeon Sobak, who, even being a master at the same level, could easily hide his skill from someone so much stronger.
Yujinhwi could not forgive him.
The one who endangered her disciple from the Blood Sect was right before her.
The true enemy of her sect was here.
Sururung.
Yujinhwi drew her sword.
[Void of Extremes]
Her mind’s martial arts etched itself into the world. Looking at the Dragon Holding Demon Lord, now surrounded in grayish void energy, Yujinhwi declared, “I will capture you, Dragon Holding Demon Lord.”
The moment the Demon Lord locked eyes with Yujinhwi, he laughed. Flash! A bright light erupted.
In the middle of Beijing.
The battle to capture the Dragon Holding Demon Lord and to identify the headquarters of the Blood Sect was about to commence.
*
“Ten Years Polished One Sword.”
I raised my right hand. The iron sword in my grip vibrated with a whoom.
Ten years.
In Chinese characters, ten, hundred, thousand, and ten thousand signify long periods of time.
Indeed.
The meaning of Ten Years Polished One Sword refers not only to the time I spent honing my swordsmanship as a grown man, rather than a common man, in this second chance at life, but also to the gains I made during that time from Kegel, Hanging, and Jerk, my three foundational exercises, shaping me into the strongest version of myself.
After all, a man’s phallus is like a sword, standing tall and proud.
Smirk.
The image of the great guru of American obstetrics, Arnold Kegel, smiling down upon me flashed before my eyes.
Flinch.
My groin muscles stirred.
Bulge.
My phallus surged towards the heavens. A fiery energy burned throughout my body.
Over the years, consuming ginseng soup, pork, grilled eel, and numerous other power-boosting foods, I accumulated formidable energy that ignited a blazing warmth throughout me.
Fwoosh!
A black flame enveloped my body.
Indeed, this phallus and energy symbolize the ultimate sword I have polished for ten years, or perhaps a lifetime.
“Frost Blade Untried.”
Indeed.
I had never wielded an icicle sword, my phallus, even once.
Whi-woo-oo-oo!
A cold chill resembling frost settled upon half of my sword enveloped with black flames. A frosty aura settled upon my body as well.
Yin and Yang.
Harnessing both energies simultaneously, they harmonized, yielding maximum power.
This was the true foundation of Gongdongpa Mugong.
The key to absolute energy.
I reversed the positions of the frost and the flames.
Kwa-aaaang!
The opposing forces clashed and unleashed overwhelming strength. This was the transformation of the air; my head cooled while my dantian warmed.
Gooo-o-o-o-o!
Around the sword I held, translucent heart-swords began to emerge one by one. Dozens of heart-swords aimed at Hyulma’s All Flows Return to One.
The surroundings transformed. An endless forest of pine trees rose behind me.
Qing Song Zhang Fu Xin (Heart of a Noble Pine).
The blue pine tree symbolized the heart of a man; my mental landscape reflecting this noble spirit became reality.
“Today I will show you.”
Dozens of heart-swords condensed into a single point. A massive sword enveloped halfway in frost and halfway in flames was born.
This represented the path of swords I had honed until now—the path of colors. It was the essence of all the potential from my short life in this second chance, now manifested as the sword of a grown man.
“Who has grievances?”
I recited the last lines of “Sword Master,” a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Jia Dao. Finally, a heart-sword fully materialized before my eyes.
It was a sword more perfect than the sum of dozens of heart-swords combined.
This sword exemplified the culmination of a lifetime—a flawless representation of the balance of vigor and color I had desperately longed for.
What is a grown man, an alpha male?
It is someone who, as discussed long ago by the sage Mencius during the Spring and Autumn period, remains undisturbed by wealth or poverty, power or weakness, while freely pursuing their own path regardless of whether the world acknowledges them.
Such a man embodies the spirit of dauntlessness.
And I am that man.
I finally realized the true meaning of the sage’s words regarding a grown man.
Once, I was a mere reed, swaying without will.
But from now on, under the path of color, I will be a man with an unmoved heart, standing steady as a grown man, an alpha male.
The understanding of a great man.
[Ten Years Polished One Sword]
The incantation of the transformation of the mind reverberated once more through the world. The heart swords and Ten Years Polished One Sword cried in response to the incantation.
Like a colossal presence, an unyielding mountain rose. This was my great sword, encapsulating the essence of my ultimate path—color.
I hurled the Ten Years Polished One Sword.
Shwaaaa-aaaaahhh!!
With a sharp cry, the Ten Years Polished One Sword soared through the air, following my intention. A basic sword technique at play, the Ten Years Polished One Sword sliced through the space like a mountain, striking at the one weakness within Hyulma’s All Flows Return to One.
“?!”
Hyulma’s expression twisted. The revered All Flows Return to One, which had seemed indomitable, was pierced at its one vulnerable point in that overwhelming wave.
Pachutzutzutzutzuz!
With a thunderous boom, like a colossal dam breaking, the wave of Hyulma’s All Flows Return to One collapsed like a house of cards amid the shattering lights.
Through the cascades of collapsing light, I commanded the heart swords to slice through the connection between Hyulma’s body and his Demon Body.
Hyulma suddenly laughed.
“Huhuhuhuhuhuhuh!”
Hyulma’s body trembled. Noise began to resonate from his entire form.
Urrrggggggggggggg!
The heavens roared once more. The earth shook. Hyulma’s body began bubbling and swelling uncontrollably, transforming into a horrific form.
[Hehehehe, you’ve shown an amusing trick, successor of the Primordial Sword Technique. Yes, this is how a successor of the Void should be!]
Hyulma’s spirit resonated across the world. The sky continued to wail. The earth split apart. Mountains and trees were overturned.
[Not a bad excursion. I won’t forget this debt. Goeryong Lee Cheol-soo. I’ll look forward to the day we meet again.]
Hyulma’s understanding was etched into the world.
Kwa-aaaang!
With a sound like fireworks, his Demon Body detonated. Flesh, bone fragments, and blood sprayed everywhere, creating a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. A fearfully ominous presence surged into the blood-red sky and vanished.
Indeed.
The connection between his Demon Body and true form had been severed, leading to the explosion of his Demon Body.
Had I not provided the water of talismans to Sosumahu, and if the Great Method had been fully enacted…
There would have been no weakness in All Flows Return to One, and I would have never been able to defeat him.
This victory was snatched from the grasp of fate, a mere strand of possibility realized.
I genuinely got lucky. Had it not been for the talisman bestowed by the Emperor, we four would have likely perished on Demon Mountain.
“Hah······.”
I withdrew my mind’s martial arts. The noble pine and the heart swords of Ten Years Polished One Sword faded like illusions.
The foot of Demon Mountain, filled only with death, gradually blurred from my sight. Perhaps it was from awakening the mind’s martial arts, but all my energy drained away.
A sense of helplessness enveloped me.
Dizziness washed over me. My consciousness sank lower.
“······Sangong······!”
“Gaga······!”
“Daddy······!!”
I could see Geumhu, Jeoksawol, and Sosumahu approaching me.
As I felt the last warmth of the three girls enveloping me, I lost consciousness.