A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation

Surururu―

The moment I realized my opponent had achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, I promptly reigned in my intent.

Simultaneously, interest sparked in Grand Elder Hong's eyes.

The displeasure that had been present just moments ago washed away, no longer visible.

"Hmm… You."

Grand Elder Hong looks at me with a momentarily interested gaze, suddenly taking a step forward.

Simultaneously, her arm rushes towards me. In my mind, I envision her hand piercing through my heart.

However, in that vision, I split her body in half and kill her.

Flinch!

Grand Elder Hong is taken aback, but a smile appears on her lips.

"So it is. Were you originally not just any ordinary person but a martial artist?"

"One could say that."

"Good. What was your primary weapon?"

"A sword."

"A sword! Hahaha!"

She does not hide her exhilarated intent.

"Perfect conditions to become a sword cultivator!"

Whoo―

She opens her mouth and several orbs of light shoot out from her Golden Core, encircling her.

A total of 16 golden swords!

"I, too, am a sword cultivator! Do you have any expertise in flying sword techniques?"

'So that's it.'

I immediately understand what kind of entity she is.

Just like the previous encounter with Byeok Mun-seong, she is a sword cultivator who specializes in controlling flying swords.

"I'll lend you a magic artifact so we can have a match. Instead of Jin Hwi, I'll take on the role of your master."

However, I just smirk.

'My master?'

With a sword? In front of me? Her?

I glance towards a small table inside my quarters.

I quickly swing my hand, cutting off one of the table's legs and holding it in my hand.

"If we're just sparring with sword techniques, this should suffice."

"Hahaha, you madman. Well, don't blame me when you get a thrashing."

Crackle, fizz!

Her flying sword dharma treasures draw upon lightning energy, emitting a golden glow.

Wham!

Her flying swords surge towards me swiftly.

Holding the leg of the table, I spin around, smoothly deflecting the flying swords and then shoot towards her.

However, I sense presences from behind, in front, above and below.

At the same time, 'images' form in my mind.

A sword, silently concealing its presence, spring from the right diagonal below to stab at my throat.

Mid-stride, I twist my body, bending at the waist.

Just as I do so, a flying sword that came from my blind spot whizzes past where my head had been.

Taking advantage of the moment I twist my body, flying swords from all directions lunge at me.

Whirling―

But I plant one foot on the ground, using it as a pivot as I swing the sword (the table leg) continuously without pause.

Whoom―

Infusing Qi into the table leg, I repel all of the flying sword dharma treasures. Continuing the momentum of that rotational force, I rapidly surge towards Hong Su-ryeong's blind spot.

Then, I swing the sword in an upward slicing motion, and Hong Su-ryeong, with a face full of exhilaration, grabs her golden sword and swings back at me.

Zing!

Crack!

Shockwaves resonate in all directions, and the table leg creaks as if about to break.

"What are you, really? You're the best, not just any martial artist from Three Flowers Gather at the Summit! Are you the Five Energies Converging to the Origin that comes once every few hundred years? The excitement of fighting with you surpasses any cultivator I've killed!"

Kugugugu!

Under her Heavenly Being stage pressure, my body slowly sinks into the ground.

'The ground of my cave residence can't withstand it.'

Although my body completely disperses her power, making me practically unscathed, it seems the surrounding terrain and objects can't say the same.

'If I used even a little of the power of my physical body from demon beast methods, Ultimate Pinnacle, or the Formless Sword, I would guarantee victory...'

I observe her, gauging her level.

Though we were merely crossing swords, several 'images' formed in my mind.

Scenes where she pressed me time and again, only for her head to end up pierced by the leg of my table.

Even though I was being pushed back in the current situation, the future we saw as our intents mingled always ended with her defeated, miserably impaled on the table leg, without exception.

"Hah...!"

With a laugh that seems to tear her mouth, Hong Su-ryeong begins to infuse her dharma treasure with power, intending to split my body in half.

And as I exchange intents with her, I realize something and am startled.

Wait, she's not at Three Flowers Gather at the Summit!?'

This is...

After about ten thousand 'pictures' cycle through my mind, confirming her defeat,

Out of those ten thousand times, just once!

A single picture emerges where she and I end up destroying each other.

If we compare our martial knowledge, it's an impossible scenario.

My world, which has reached the Treading Heavens realm, can not possibly be challenged by the level of Three Flowers Gather at the Summit.

However, if it's a realm higher than the Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, it might be possible.

'Five Energies Converging to the Origin!'

Kwagwang!

With the speed of lightning, she kicks me in the chest, sending me flying into one of the residence walls.

I crash into the wall, and immediately, spider-web-like cracks spread throughout it.

"To think you'd kick me away using your cultivation at the end. You must not have been confident about winning properly?"

"So what? Cultivation is also my power. If you're jealous, reach the Heavenly Being stage yourself.""

"..."

Hong Su-ryeong, with a satisfied smile, begins to recall her dharma treasures.

"I originally planned to capture you and slice you up with my flying sword technique, but what was that? It didn't feel like a cultivation technique."

Wo-woong!

Hovering in the air in the cave residence, Hong Su-ryeong looks at the still unretrieved flying swords and asks.

I retrieve my intent infused in her flying swords and return them to her as I speak.

"It's sword control."

"Hoh, that's interesting."

She says, receiving back the flying swords that had been completely under my control just moments ago.

Up until just a moment ago, her flying swords were entirely dominated by me.

If I had wanted to, I could have used her own flying swords to attack her. Such is the extent of my control.

That's why, out of the ten thousand exchanges of intent, ten thousand times she was defeated.

However, I recalled the one instance out of ten thousand where we ended up destroying each other.

'My sword control momentarily faltered.'

At that moment, her flying sword technique targeted me, and after splitting Hong Su-ryeong in half and trying to respond to the flying sword technique, I missed one sword, resulting in a scenario where I also died.

'Of course, that assumes I didn't use the demon beast methods.'

But that's a meaningless assumption since she also hadn't properly used her cultivation techniques.

"By the way, you must at least be at the Five Energies Converging to the Origin or higher. Then, have you undergone complete transformation?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Then... it means you have both the Lightning Sacred Body and the Five Elements Spiritual Root."

She looks at me with interest.

"As expected. It was a good decision to coerce Senior Brother Jin into making you my dual cultivation partner. I've never met someone as interesting as you!"

"..."

I flinch at the sight of her eyes shimmering with madness.

"...I heard you've been... conducting human experiments. Are you planning to experiment on me too?"

"It's intriguing, but it would be meaningless."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know why I started human experiments?"

"...I don't know."

Hong Su-ryeong forms a seal towards one corner of the residence.

A tree branch grows, forming a chair.

She sits down on the chair and begins her story.

"The sword (劍). Since I embarked on the path of cultivation, I've been fascinated by flying sword techniques. I've been consistently researching flying sword techniques and Lightning Path Methods. Then, one day, I had the chance to observe the martial world, which is treated like insects in the cultivation world."

Her eyes sparkle as she speaks.

"It was shocking! To see them wielding swords so fiercely, so meticulously, struggling so desperately as the weak against the strong. It was something I'd never seen before. And then I realized! In the cultivation world, those who fling flying sword techniques around, boasting 'Look at me, I'm a sword cultivator', are all utter fools!"

"..."

"Those fools who've never held a sword in their life think they can call themselves sword cultivators just by flinging flying swords! There's nothing more stupid than that!"

Her words are harsh, but since they resonate with my own thoughts, I quietly listen to her.

"From that day, I began to learn martial arts as well. Though my focus was mainly on sword techniques, holding a sword in my hands and wielding it was thrilling in itself! Fighting over and over again, I eventually reached an understanding of intent, saw the colors of intent through the Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, and ultimately reached the Five Energies Converging to the Origin!"

"...By any chance, have you also undergone complete transformation?"

I ask her, curious.

She smirks and nods.

"Yes. But for me, I reached the Five Energies Converging to the Origin and underwent the complete transformation during the Nascent Soul Grand Perfection stage. Hence, I didn't have any trouble with lacking the Five Elements Spiritual Roots."

'I thought as much...'

Sensing her physique, I nod.

Her body felt incredibly balanced.

Such a physique wouldn't make sense unless she had undergone a transformation or mastered demon beast methods.

"Anyway... after reaching the Five Energies Converging to the Origin, a thought occurred to me."

"What was it?"

"If human intent can change the physical body to undergo a transformation, adding the Five Elements Spiritual Roots to someone without spiritual roots through Five Energies Converging to the Origin. Then, depending on a person's will and effort, could a person's 'constitution' also change?"

Crack, crackling!

Lightning swirls around her as she clenches her fist.

"Then, although the legendary constitution of the Ancestor's Heavenly Golden Thunder Body might be too mythical, couldn't we 'reproduce' something like a Lightning Sacred Body depending on human effort? That's where my thoughts led me. So I started experimenting on the human bodies of those who were made to be my dual cultivation partners."

"..."

"Oh, don't worry. None of the subjects of my experiments ended up with disabilities or met bad ends. They all became stronger, if anything. Haha..."

'So that's why those mad experiments weren't stopped by the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect.'

The dual cultivation partners who escaped from her, regardless of the outcome, became stronger, thus increasing the sect's power. It seems that experimenting on fellow sect members, even dual cultivation partners, was forgiven for this reason.

"Anyway... putting that aside, you were born with the Lightning Sacred Body and reached the peak of martial arts, achieving the realm of Five Energies Converging to the Origin, so there's no reason for me to modify or experiment on you. You are essentially the goal I've been trying so hard to reproduce."

"Is that so?"

I nod.

'The idea that human intent and effort can change one's constitution...'

It's a research started from a very interesting perspective.

"In that case, do you also think the same about 'talent'?"

"Talent?"

"Yes. The overall talent for cultivation methods or for martial arts. Do you also believe those can change?"

"Ah, talent. I have indeed conducted research on that as well."

She nods and continues.

"And after my own research, I've come to the conclusion that the concept of 'talent' does not exist in this world."

'Talent doesn't exist?'

I find the notion intriguing, having never considered such a perspective.

"Why do you say that talent does not exist?"

As someone who has observed the Extraordinary Pattern Law Talent of Buk Hyang-hwa and the Mad Lord, and Kim Young-hoon's martial prowess, I find it hard to agree with her statement.

And then, I am inevitably startled by the name she mentions next.

"Do you, by any chance, know of Cheongmun Ryeong from Byeokra?"

"Excuse me?"

Why would that name suddenly come up here?

I nod in response.

"Yes, I've heard of him. I have a bit of a connection with the Cheongmun Clan."

"Then, you must also know Cheongmun Ryeong's nickname."

"...Excuse me?"

I am confused at the mention of Cheongmun Ryeong's nickname.

'What, did Cheongmun Ryeong have a nickname?'

I cautiously say.

"I only know he's called one of the three great masters of the Qi Building stage."

"Uh? What's that now?"

"Excuse me?"

But to my surprise, Hong Su-ryeong seems bewildered, as if she's hearing such a thing for the first time.

However, she soon nods in acknowledgment.

"Ah, I see. I've heard that those below the Core Formation stage refer to him in that manner. A Qi Building cultivator displaying the power of a Core Formation cultivator. However, from the late stages of Core Formation to the Heavenly Being stage, among higher-level cultivators, Cheongmun Ryeong had a different nickname."

'Ah, it's a nickname circulated among higher-level cultivators. No wonder I didn't know about it.'

I met Cheongmun Ryeong after all the Nascent Soul stages were already captured.

"Among such cultivators, Cheongmun Ryeong was called 'the Yellow Snake', meaning 'the Wise One without Talent'."

"Yellow Snake... you say?"

"Yes. Since ancient times, 'snakes' have symbolized 'wisdom'. It's known that from the phrase 'the heavens are black and the earth is yellow' (天地玄黃). Among high-level cultivators, he was called 'the Yellow Snake' because it was said his talent fell to the earth."

'The Yellow Snake...'

I ponder her words.

'Then conversely, would a genius be called a black snake?'

I ask her about my question.

"Do you mean to ask about the Black Snake?"

She explains with her arms crossed.

"I don't know much about the Black Snake. After all, the idea that snakes symbolize 'wisdom' comes from a legend secretly passed among the snake demons of the Head Realm... Ah, but from what I've heard, black snakes are considered more of an auspicious omen (吉兆) among snakes rather than signifying a genius."

'Black snakes signify an auspicious omen...'

Like the last time when buying the demon beast methods.

Among snakes, 'black snakes' seems to be considered a good omen or an auspicious being.

'The heavens are black and the earth is yellow... If snakes symbolize wisdom, then black snakes symbolize wisdom of the heavens.'

The heavens represent Fate (命).

Perhaps among the Serpent Race, those who reached the plane of fate and became True Immortals might be the black snakes.

"Anyway, the reason I brought up Cheongmun Ryeong was..."

Crackle!

She brings out 16 golden flying sword dharma treasures again.

Eight swords form points in all directions, and another eight swords form points around the exterior.

"Inner Trigram (內卦), Outer Trigram (外卦)."

Suddenly, the Eight Trigrams seal is imprinted on the swords, and the inner and outer swords begin to rotate in opposite directions.

Wo-woong!

The flying swords exchange the power of the Eight Trigrams with each other, creating countless transformations.

The total number of transformations is 66.

As my eyes accurately follow the flow of changes, Hong Su-ryeong asks in surprise.

"Wow, you caught all the changes in one go? How many changes did you see?"

"I..."

"Don't think about hiding it. I've tested this on a few people. Just by looking at your eyes, I can tell how many transformations you saw."

I was about to lessen the number but decided to tell her exactly what I saw.

'Even if I hide my intent, she would know I can do so. Such a lie won't work on her anyway...'

"...66. The Inner Trigram and Outer Trigram combines to create 64 transformations, and adding the flow of Yin and Yang above and below makes 66."

"Indeed... No one except Cheongmun Ryeong has been able to discern all the transformations at once... you..."

Her gaze sharpens.

"Is it really true that you reached Qi Refining 6th Star in one go through an innate understanding?"

I sigh inwardly.

"This has nothing to do with talent or cultivation but more with how much effort one has put into the basic techniques under the approach of Understanding before Breakthrough."

On the first day I met Hong Su-ryeong.

"Are you really in your twenties? You're not an old monster who scattered his cultivation to infiltrate the sect, are you?"

She quickly approaches the secret of my 'talent.'