WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 253: The Black Flame Dragon Collects the Winnings (6)
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Bone Reforging and Rebirth.
The fated encounter among fated encounters, as martial artists often called it.
Even among the fated encounters everyone desperately wished to find, it ranked just below a cliffside fated encounter.
What were the odds that someone who had been attacked by an enemy and fallen off a cliff would find the lost secret teachings and spiritual medicine of a peerless master in some crevice?
That was the sort of thing that only happened in martial arts novels.
Bone Reforging and Rebirth, on the other hand, was a fated encounter firmly grounded in reality.
I'd experienced Rebirth before with the help of the Mita Sacred Water and other things.
That alone had given me the Martial God Physique.
But now.
Bone Reforging and Rebirth...!
Bone Reforging and Rebirth...!!!
“Is that... really true?”
Blood Brawl tipped back his bottle with the envious look of someone who had just watched another person pick up money from the ground.
I lightly clenched and unclenched my fists.
I'd thought my strength felt unusual...!
“Then does that mean I've reached the Divine Transformation Realm?”
“Pfft!”
A rainbow briefly formed in the air from the spray of liquor Blood Brawl spat out.
Ah! Was that a rainbow foretelling the flower-strewn road ahead of me?
“...”
“...Why are you looking at me like that? Even if I become a peerless master, do you think I'd bully you, Elder Blood Brawl?”
Blood Brawl still looked at me as though I were pathetic.
“...I've never seen such a halfwit.”
He clicked his tongue.
“What does Bone Reforging and Rebirth have to do with the Divine Transformation Realm!”
Huh? It didn't?
Thunk.
He set the bottle down.
“Bone Reforging and Rebirth is no more than an outward transformation. Do you think you can reach the Divine Transformation Realm, where you must complete the harmony of essence, qi, and spirit, comprehend the principles of all creation, and alter the laws of the world, through Bone Reforging and Rebirth alone? What a thief. You're a thief who would put the Black Path to shame! Tch!”
Amazing. Now I was being called a thief by a Black Path big shot.
By someone who used to kill people whenever they displeased him.
“So it isn't that? Then why did you look at me that way?”
“What is wrong with my expression!”
“You were looking at me like someone who'd struck it rich.”
At my insistence, Blood Brawl lowered his head slightly and muttered under his breath.
“Struck it rich, my ass...”
Then he lifted his head, drained another bottle, and casually threw it to the floor.
“Still, how could I not envy you when you've been struck by something similar?”
Heh heh heh. As expected.
Still, I had to make sure.
“How great a windfall are we talking about?”
“Ha!”
Blood Brawl opened his mouth in disbelief, then shook his head.
“How did someone like you receive such a fated encounter...?”
With a humble expression, I shared my secret(?).
“Isn't it because I've lived kindly and diligently? Fortune doesn't just come to you, you know. You should mind your conduct as well, Elder...”
“If you don't shut up, I won't tell you anything.”
“My mouth was already aching, so I was about to shut it. Heh heh.”
Picking up a fresh bottle, Blood Brawl brought it to his lips and asked, “What is a martial artist's ultimate goal?”
“Well, to uphold chivalry and create a righteous martial world...”
He sprang to his feet.
“Figure it out yourself.”
“N-No!”
I grabbed Blood Brawl by the trouser leg.
“...If I had to put it into words, isn't it to attain the Dao?”
“Are you going to keep pretending to be a Taoist?”
Blood Brawl clicked his tongue before continuing.
“Beyond the Black Path and the White Path, martial artists seek the Divine Transformation Realm, just as you said.”
It was a supreme realm so lofty that only a handful of people had reached it throughout the martial world's history.
Blood Brawl asked again in a serious voice.
“Then answer me. Have you ever seen a martial artist train with Bone Reforging and Rebirth as their goal?”
“...”
Now that I thought about it, he was right.
Those who had reached the half-immortal realm or undergone rejuvenation all sought the Divine Transformation Realm.
On the other hand, no martial artist ever said their goal was Bone Reforging and Rebirth.
“Not every martial artist experiences Bone Reforging and Rebirth on their way to the Divine Transformation Realm. Essence represents enduring years of extreme hardship, gradually and steadily changing as rocks are worn down by weathering.”
Blood Brawl swept his displeased gaze over me.
“Yet sometimes, lucky bastards skip over those years of hardship.”
“That's Bone Reforging and Rebirth?”
Blood Brawl looked away and nodded.
His face was full of displeasure, but he continued speaking.
“No one knows what circumstances cause it. But if I had to guess... it is when impatient qi and spirit lead along the essence that cannot keep up.”
Essence, qi, and spirit always sought harmony.
That was true even for ordinary people, but for martial artists, that harmony was more important than anything.
Without the harmony of essence, qi, and spirit, one would suffer qi deviation.
Wait. Was this really something I should only be happy about?
“...Are you saying I nearly suffered qi deviation?”
“Does your sect truly not have a single expert... No, forget it.”
I snatched away the bottle in Blood Brawl's hand and pressed him for an answer.
“Then aren't I in danger? I don't know when that harmony might break again.”
Then.
Crumble.
The bottle in my hand once again turned to dust and vanished in an instant.
Blood Brawl quietly watched it happen before asking, “...Must broken harmony always be a bad thing?”
“Of course it is.”
“Tsk tsk. Why did this kind of fortune come to such a fool?”
“Are you really not going to tell me?”
Blood Brawl stared at me for a moment, then pushed his bottle aside.
“Do you know why Black Path martial artists often achieve more than White Path martial artists who began training at the same time?”
“Well... because they possess the strength to defy Heaven...”
“Tsk. This is why people call you lot horse-nosed Taoists. Who told you the harmony of essence, qi, and spirit was some absolute truth?”
“Don't tell me...”
Earlier, energy had surged up my spine. This time, the shock was so great that the back of my head tingled.
“Yes. The essence of Black Path martial arts is twisting the power of one of those three so that the other two must compensate and restore the overall balance.”
“That sounds incredibly dangerous.”
“That is why Black Path bastards become half-mad the stronger they get.”
For a moment, the words, ‘Like you?’ nearly slipped out, but I held them back.
This was valuable knowledge that would be hard to hear anywhere else.
“This is why, even though many White Path martial artists become experts, so few experience Bone Reforging and Rebirth. White Path martial arts are boring beyond belief. It's hard to undergo any dramatic transformation through them.”
As I listened, a question came to mind.
“Then how far can the harmony of essence, qi, and spirit be twisted?”
“Not as far as what you experienced. That went beyond cause and effect. If Black Path martial arts pushed someone that far beyond cause and effect, they would eventually either become insane or die.”
“...”
The moment I heard that, I thought of the Demonic Cult.
Had they also gained strength by twisting that harmony, like the Black Path?
“I don't know what happened inside that mystic formation, but the danger of life and death you faced may have given you an incredible fated encounter. That Gun Yuhyeon fellow must be sick with envy.”
Of course, that was only if he still had his sanity.
I'd destroyed his Baihui acupoint at the final moment, so he would probably never learn that I had undergone Bone Reforging and Rebirth.
Having finished his explanation, Blood Brawl smacked his lips in envy.
“Anyway, this has put you several times further ahead of everyone else. Can you compare that to some paltry windfall?”
Only then did I understand all the expressions Blood Brawl had made.
Anyone would feel empty if someone right in front of them obtained in an instant what they had spent decades working for.
But what could I do?
I'd earned this fated encounter after narrowly escaping death myself.
“Haha, I don't know how I can apologize enough.”
“...”
Blood Brawl's face crumpled like a sheet of paper.
Then.
Boom!
His martial garb suddenly swelled as though it would burst, and waves of liquor-laden qi pulsed in all directions.
Blood Brawl slowly rose to his feet.
The waves of qi pouring from him were so strong that the bottles scattered across the floor rolled far away.
Tsk, had I teased him too much?
I hurriedly tried to calm him down.
“Haha! E-Elder, it was a joke. A joke! Black Path people like jokes, don't they?”
“Draw your sword.”
“No, Elder, I said it was a joke.”
Blood Brawl ignored me and muttered in a chilling voice.
“Do you want to brag about your Bone Reforging and Rebirth to the Grim Reaper?”
“...Damn it.”
Shing.
I hurriedly drew the Black Dragon Sword.
I couldn't die here, especially when I wanted to brag about striking it rich.
#
Swish.
Blood Brawl stepped forward with one foot and one hand extended, taking a combat stance.
The pressure he gave off was entirely different from before, when he had used only his feet.
Rough, violent waves of qi jabbed at my skin.
I hadn't even adapted to my body yet.
If I made one mistake, I would only get to brag before King Yama.
‘Fuck, that can't happen.’
The filthy Black Path martial artist called Blood Brawl began moving without giving me even a three-move concession.
Red qi lingered in his footprints. He clearly intended to fight seriously.
Boom!
A sharp kick stabbed toward my solar plexus.
I raised the flat of my blade to block it, but the explosion of qi made my arm tremble.
He immediately lowered himself to attack my shin, then leaped up almost at the same time to strike my head, as if he had two bodies.
All those movements happened in less than a blink.
Bang!
I couldn't keep up at all.
I was the one defending, and my movements were much smaller, yet whenever I moved, Blood Brawl's hands and feet had already passed through that space.
This wasn't to gauge my condition or test me.
This man...
‘He's serious. Damn it!’
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three consecutive strikes landed on my chest, and pain flared as though my breastbone would shatter.
Blood Brawl muddled my vision with his footwork and spoke as though he found me ridiculous.
“How long do you intend to do nothing but defend? Do you really want to brag to the Grim Reaper?”
“You damned old bastard...”
“Oh? Your true nature is finally showing.”
Bang! Bang!
How could a person attack my feet and head at the same time?
Blood Brawl was facing me while drawing out the strengths of a close-combat specialist to their limit.
“Damn it...!”
As I tried to gain even the smallest amount of distance, Blood Brawl stubbornly refused to give me an opening.
Thud!
“Urk!”
A fist had somehow driven deep into my stomach, making my organs churn.
“This must be what they mean by pearls before swine. You've undergone Bone Reforging and Rebirth, yet you can't even make proper use of it.”
Fuck, you had to tell me how before I could use it...!
Perhaps he had read my thoughts. Blood Brawl gave a mocking grin.
“Did you expect a filthy Black Path man like me to kindly explain it to you?”
I fired sword qi at the cackling Blood Brawl with all my strength.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Blood Brawl lightly dispersed the sword qi I fired with the smallest of movements and slipped through the gaps.
“Do you think I've never faced anyone with more internal energy than you in my life?”
I wanted to snap back, but I didn't have even a moment to open my mouth.
“You're normally all mouth, but now that you've clamped it shut, I suppose today is the day you die.”
A sharp hand blade flew straight at me.
Amazing. I was trying to force my mouth open, and he struck me in the nape.
A cowardly Black Path man to the end.
The only fortunate thing was that either Blood Brawl was holding back or Bone Reforging and Rebirth had strengthened my body, because the pain wasn't too severe.
Thanks to that, I deliberately took the weaker attacks with my body and focused on blocking the more destructive ones.
Thud. Thud.
“You fool! You haven't even learned external martial arts, so what do you think you're doing by blocking with your body!”
Fuck, it wasn't like I wanted to block with my body.
His speed made him hard enough to respond to, but my body no longer moved as it had before.
Sometimes I used more strength than expected, and other times less qi.
I could not freely control my body or the flow of my qi, so I moved awkwardly, like a puppet on strings.
Then Blood Brawl's shout rang out.
“You idiot! Your essence has already changed. Do you still not understand why you underwent Bone Reforging and Rebirth to restore harmony?! Doesn't that mean your qi and spirit want something from you!”
At Blood Brawl's cry, the scenes I had seen in the darkness while unconscious suddenly returned to me.
The scenes of fighting Gun Yuhyeon, or rather, Je Geumhak, and winning.
They had been my movements, yet I had moved as though I were not myself.
After waking up, I had forgotten them and never considered practicing them separately.
But this wasn't the time to worry about that.
At this rate, I might go down in martial world history as the man who underwent Bone Reforging and Rebirth, only to get beaten to death.
‘Fuck, right!’
When had my life ever gone smoothly or safely?
I just had to do it.
Whoosh!
I abandoned the Twin Heavens Sword Art and swung the Lesser Heaven Sword Art.
It used far less qi than before, and the movements weren't large.
Still, I felt it in that instant.
My strike had aimed squarely at Blood Brawl's vital point.
At that moment.
“That's it!”
An exclamation burst from Blood Brawl as he recoiled in surprise.
I continued the Lesser Heaven Sword Art, neutralizing Blood Brawl's attacks one by one.
“Yes! Yes! This is it!”
The more satisfaction filled Blood Brawl's face, the more red qi seemed to gather around his hands and feet.
But I wasn't afraid.
No matter how fast or destructive his attacks were, I was confident I could block them.
Even when sharp waves of qi grazed my cheek and left a small cut, my heart remained calm as a still lake.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
With the lightly swung Lesser Heaven Sword Art, I blocked Blood Brawl's fist qi and leg qi. Then, when he was right in front of me, I sent him flying with Lotus.
Though they were different martial arts, the movements connected smoothly, like linked attacks.
The sword qi that followed blocked Blood Brawl's path as he kicked off the ground to rush at me.
“Good, now this is finally worth doing!”
But Blood Brawl, emerging from the cloud of dust, had no choice but to stop dead.
The sharp Black Dragon Sword was pressed against his throat.
“Ha... You've truly improved this much already?”
Blood Brawl couldn't hide his admiration.
I slowly withdrew my sword and gave him a fist-and-palm salute.
“Thank you for your instruction, Elder.”
I'd realized it during that fierce exchange.
‘This intense martial contest was for my sake.’
It would take a long time to wait for me to adapt to my changed body, so he had shortened that time in his own way.
Blood Brawl's excited voice reached me.
“You still have a long way to go! You need to experience more to adapt. Even an entire day wouldn't be enough!”
Blood Brawl stirred up his fighting spirit again, seriously warming up this time.
I shook my head at him.
“I'll restore the harmony myself. No matter how urgent it is, I don't want to keep seeing the Grim Reaper's face right in front of me.”
“Tsk. You could have bragged to them.”
“Them...? Who are you talking about?”
Blood Brawl looked as though he had let something slip and pretended otherwise.
“None of your business.”
“Are they friends of yours?”
Since Blood Brawl had brought it up, I could finally ask what I had wanted to ask him as well.
But then.
“...”
Blood Brawl's face stiffened.
All traces of his favorable manner vanished, leaving only an emotionless gaze fixed on me.
“I said it's none of your business.”
An ordinary person, no, even an expert would be too frightened to speak further after seeing Blood Brawl's current pressure.
But the second matter I needed to discuss with him concerned this.
I didn't avoid his gaze as I asked, “Are you referring to the people in the Black Forest?”
“...”
Blood Brawl's eyes widened.
A sharp strand of qi shot from his body and coldly coiled around my neck.
As though it would cut my throat at any moment, it settled there with crushing weight.
Footnotes:
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