The Former Supreme - Chapter 72

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 72: The Prime of Life Comes with the First Snow (2)

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Baek Socheon immersed himself in Dragon Spring and began with energy circulation.

A fragrant medicinal scent wafted from the box containing the two Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Roots he had received from the Alliance Leader.

They were spiritual medicines that could grant sixty years of internal energy per root if their effects were fully absorbed. Previously, Baek Socheon had consumed a Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root and gained twenty years of internal energy, one-third of the sixty years it was supposed to provide.

But this time would be different. The Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method had reached the fourth stage, and he also had Dragon Spring. He should be able to gain a few more years of internal energy.

After consuming one root, Baek Socheon focused and began energy circulation. His existing one hundred and one years of internal energy surged through his entire body, beginning to dissolve the medicinal effects of the Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root.

Ssssss.

Before long, Baek Socheon had absorbed every last bit of its medicinal power.

A vast energy joined his existing internal energy. It was twenty-four years of pure internal energy. He had gained four more years than the twenty he should originally have received.

"Good!"

Baek Socheon consumed the second Thousand-Year Fleeceflower Root as well. This time, he gained one more year of internal energy than before.

Twenty-five years of internal energy.

Forty-nine years in total.

Added to his original one hundred and one years, Baek Socheon now possessed one hundred and fifty years of internal energy.

At his former peak, he had possessed three sixty-year cycles, one hundred and eighty years of internal energy.

Yet his current internal energy was far purer than it had been then. It was fair to say he had now fully regained the internal energy of his former prime.

No, he was even better than before. The purity of his internal energy more than made up for a difference of thirty years. On top of that, he was learning the Greatest Martial Arts of All Time. In both internal energy and external martial arts, he had surpassed his former peak.

After stepping out of Dragon Spring, Baek Socheon raised his internal energy.

Whoooosh!

Heat radiated from his body, instantly evaporating every drop of water clinging to him.

When Baek Socheon stretched out his hand, his clothes flew toward him. He extended both arms, and the garments moved as though alive, dressing him on their own.

When he held out his hand again, the Ghost Shadow Sword drew itself from its sheath and flew into his grasp.

Baek Socheon poured internal energy into the Ghost Shadow Sword to its limit.

The sword's cry changed.

An even more terrifying ghostly wail rang through the stone chamber.

That sound made Baek Socheon certain.

He had grown stronger than before.

"Hahahahaha!"

His delighted laughter echoed throughout the Hidden Land of the Heavenly Dragon.

He could now properly fight Yeom Hwasin. Against the Yeom Hwasin of the past, Baek Socheon was confident he could win. He even knew that Yeom Hwasin's heart was not in its proper place.

But if Yeom Hwasin had achieved the Indestructible Vajra Body, Baek Socheon still could not say for certain that he would win.

The surest way to defeat him was to attain full mastery of the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Asura Divine Sword.

Could he achieve full mastery before spring came?

Even for Baek Socheon, it was an unreasonable goal.

Still, he had no other choice. His only hope was that the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Asura Divine Sword consisted of just seven sword forms.

'For now, I'll do my best.'

If it still proved impossible after giving it everything he had, there would be nothing he could do.

Baek Socheon left the Hidden Land of the Heavenly Dragon.

He intended to begin serious training. He needed a place where he could use his internal energy freely without drawing anyone's attention.

After packing food into his leather bag, Baek Socheon headed to the place where he had trained in the past.

He had discovered it during his days as Corps Commander of the Iron Sword Corps and went there whenever he wanted to train in secret. Ordinary masters could not reach it. They had to find a hidden path and climb over a sheer cliff.

Baek Socheon lightly leaped over the cliff. As he cut through the fierce wind blowing between the precipices, he once again felt that he had truly returned to his former self.

After passing through the dense forest, he came upon an open clearing. Tall cliffs surrounded it on all sides, and the space was vast enough to be ideal for training alone.

"Ah, this place hasn't changed at all!"

Baek Socheon was happy to see it exactly as he remembered. It felt as though an old friend were welcoming him back.

His serious martial arts training began there.

Baek Socheon changed how he allocated his training time.

He gave one part to the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method, two parts to the Heaven-Turning Nine Fists, and the remaining seven to the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Asura Divine Sword.

His training from then on differed from before. Whether it was the Heaven-Turning Nine Fists or the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Asura Divine Sword, he could now pour in internal energy without restraint and learn them properly.

After calming his mind through energy circulation, he warmed up with the Heaven-Turning Nine Fists.

Finally, he drew the Ghost Shadow Sword and committed the sword art's martial formula to memory.

Once he was ready, Baek Socheon leaped into the air and swung his sword.

Fourth Form, Heavenly Authority Form.

As though heaven's power were striking down like lightning, the seven sword trails Baek Socheon created plunged downward.

Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!

He struck so quickly that even Baek Socheon, as he performed the martial art, worried for his enemy.

'What if it were me?'

Could he block it?

If he were the one facing that attack, he did not think he could. Neither his existing sword arts nor the first three forms of the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Asura Divine Sword offered a way to block it.

The more forms he learned, the more thrilled he became.

It was not difficult at all. It was arduous, yet it did not feel difficult. If it meant he could perform martial arts like this, he could endure any pain.

Baek Socheon's training continued.

Time passed, and ten days had gone by since he arrived.

Whoooosh!

The Ghost Shadow Sword spun around Baek Socheon with a sharp whistle of wind.

The sword trails that had stabbed, slashed, and struck downward curved for the first time.

Fifth Form, Heavenly Circle Form.

It spun through the air even faster than the Fourth Form, tearing it apart.

Five days after arriving, Baek Socheon had perfectly executed the Fourth Form of the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Asura Divine Sword. Ten days after that, he finally conquered the Fifth Form as well.

He had performed the Fifth Form perfectly. Even more astonishingly, he had completed it before the sword sequence of the First Form had even ended.

To ordinary eyes, this linked sequence would look like this.

In a single flash, more than thirty sword trails would appear before their eyes at once, then vanish.

While training in the Fourth and Fifth Forms of the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Asura Divine Sword, Baek Socheon realized something important.

He had been underestimating his complete transformation.

He had been so happy to recover his internal energy that he had failed to recognize its true benefit.

The reason he could perform the Fifth Form so quickly was that he could instantly draw internal energy from every part of his body.

His complete transformation had changed him into someone perfectly suited for martial arts of ultimate speed.

The more he learned, the deeper he fell into the appeal, no, the magic, of the swift sword.

The faster his own movements became, the slower everything else seemed by comparison.

Baek Socheon's heart pounded.

He trembled at what he had achieved so far, and again at what he still had to achieve.

A great wall now stood before him.

He had learned through the Fifth Form in one breath, but from the Sixth Form onward, he could not understand how to perform them or how to circulate his internal energy.

It was as though the wall were saying:

You humans, learn only up to this point.

Baek Socheon did not see that wall as something hindering him. The Sixth and Seventh Forms must be waiting just as eagerly for someone to cross that wall and meet them.

'Wait for me. I'll definitely master you!'

He would turn this wall into a stepping stone for what came next.

* * *

"It's cold. Go inside now."

At Im Chung's words, his son Chan paused his training.

"I'll train for half a siju longer, then come in."

Chan had recently become completely absorbed in martial arts training.

Whenever he had time, Im Chung asked Beon Saeng to teach Chan. Teaching one's own child was more difficult than he had expected, and Beon Saeng's skill and talent far surpassed his own.

Baek Socheon had taught them martial arts on the same day, but there was a vast gap between Beon Saeng and him.

Im Chung felt guilty about repeatedly imposing on Beon Saeng, but his son's future was at stake, so he could not help it. Thankfully, Beon Saeng always taught Chan gladly, and Im Chung could only be grateful.

"Father, it's cold. Please go inside."

"I'll go in soon. Don't worry about me and continue your training."

"Yes."

Watching his son grow bigger by the day filled Im Chung with all sorts of thoughts. He felt proud, but he also worried about whether Chan would fare well in the harsh martial world ahead.

Whenever that happened, his wife Madam Joo would encourage him, telling him to trust in the destiny their son had been born with.

Though Im Chung had seemed ready to go inside soon, he remained there until Chan finished training.

"Good work."

The two walked home side by side.

"You want to join the Murim Alliance?"

"Yes. Once I'm strong enough, I want to take the entrance examination."

"Isn't it too early for that?"

"Since I've made up my mind, I don't think it would be bad to join early."

Im Chung had thought of him only as a child, but Chan was saying something quite mature.

Still, Im Chung thought it was too early. Even if Chan became strong enough, he intended to wait until he was older before letting him join the Alliance.

"Go inside and rest."

"Yes, Father."

After Chan went inside, Im Chung stood still for a moment and looked up at the sky.

It felt as though autumn had only arrived the other day, but winter was already here.

"I wonder what my brother is doing."

It had surely been over a month since he had last seen Baek Socheon.

Then a welcome voice came from behind him.

"I've been busy."

Im Chung turned around in surprise and found Baek Socheon standing there.

"Brother? When did you arrive?"

"Just now."

In truth, he had arrived much earlier. From a distance, he had watched Im Chung observe Chan training.

Seeing Chan train while Im Chung watched him made Baek Socheon feel calm. It was almost as though he were being cleansed.

It was a scene that seemed to tell the part of him obsessed only with becoming stronger, 'Wait. Think about why you're training in the first place.'

He thought martial arts resembled money in some ways.

Having a lot of money brought comfort and peace of mind, but it did not lead directly to happiness. Being strong in martial arts likewise brought comfort and reassurance, but that alone did not lead to happiness either.

Yeom Hwasin was proof of that, and Baek Socheon did not think he was much different.

If someone asked him, 'Are you happy?' could he truly answer yes without hesitation?

The very fact that such a question came to mind likely meant he was one step removed from happiness.

"Thanks to you, I can leave my post without worry."

"What have I done?"

"I'm not saying it just to be polite."

Im Chung looked at Baek Socheon. They had not even known each other for a full year. Yet Im Chung knew Baek Socheon meant every word.

He felt the same way. Some people became dear after knowing one another for a long time, while other relationships inspired deep trust and attachment regardless of how long they had known each other.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me."

"Don't misunderstand. I don't mean you should work harder."

"Pardon?"

"I said it because I want you to avoid working too hard. When I look back on my life, all I remember is fighting. I don't regret it, but it is not a life I would choose if I had to live again. So don't live a life where all you do is work."

"Yes, Brother."

Just then, something fell from the sky and settled on Baek Socheon's head.

Both men looked up.

"Oh? It's snowing."

Snowflakes fluttered as they danced through the air. It was the first snow of the year. Im Chung looked up at the sky, overcome with emotion.

"Ah, it's the first snow!"

After looking up for a moment, Im Chung turned to Baek Socheon.

"Brother, do you like snow? Huh? Brother? Brother!"

Baek Socheon had already vanished.

"What could be so urgent that he left without even saying goodbye?"

As Im Chung went inside, he called out loudly.

"Chan, it's snowing. It's the first snow!"