Heavenly Demon Cultivation Simulation

Whisk. Flutter.

The gust of wind blew.

Seok-Hwi was alone in the training place.

Before the demonstration, he waved his sword around, as if trying to gauge the center of gravity of his body, and repeated the motion of adjusting his grip a couple of times.

Clack

Just for a moment.

With his right hand, he extended the sharp blade ahead, and with his left hand, he gently curled the blade and raised it as if greeting the audience.

“Clear Wind Sword Technique!”

Someone saw that form and raised their voice. It was an unofficial technique that represented the Qingcheng Sect.

The arts were not different. It was an action that simply showed respect for the other person as a sword-wielding warrior.

Seok-Hwi’s sword was held out in front of him, but he showed a gesture of respect to the opponent by pointing the sword. The person who recognized it said it was the Clear Wind Sword Arts.

Creak

The sword moved.

Swish! Swish!

He stabbed and cut, then came the strike down. Gradually, the sword dance began to gain speed.

The Qingcheng’s courageous spirit. In addition to the force of the sword, anyone could see that it was the fierce sword path that made the Qingcheng Sect strong. It was their forms, their spirit, which would not break down.

Inside the lives of many warriors, like Taoists who buried their bones in Qingcheng Mountain and practiced throughout their lives, were buried.

Actually, all martial arts of Qingcheng were like that. It was clear that each movement shown, no matter how big or small, contained the efforts and enlightenment of their ancestors.

Swishhh

What was this form?

As soon as he released his hold, a huge air current covered the training ground.

Rumble!

As a result, a tremendous amount of energy was emitted inside and outside the training ground, making everyone’s ears ring.

“Ohhhh!”

“Truly has amazing power!”

“That is…”

Feeling the airflow change because of Seok-Hwi, the elders were all shocked.

“This is…?”

However, Elder Chung Heo, the master of Seok-Hwi, who stood at one side, did not wear a satisfied expression. As he watched the technique, his face only hardened.

Wheik!

As Seol-Hwi drew his energy in and captured the flow, the atmosphere among the spectators grew increasingly excited.

Ugh… ugh….

The air flowed naturally to the sword as it swung. Gathering all that energy at the tip of the sword was akin to claiming mastery over everything around.

It was said that at this level, one could move the desired object with direct contact, just like any powerful entity.

Ah…!

Even after witnessing such a formidable display, Elder Chung Heo’s face did not change; instead, it grew darker with discomfort. Before long, his expression betrayed his unease.

Seek!

Several rounds of technique demonstrations continued.

Shhhh!

Unable to bear it any longer, Chung Heo stood up abruptly, and the young Taoist beside him offered support.

“Elder? Where are you going so suddenly?”

“…I have seen all I needed to. It is time I returned to where I belong.”

“Is… that so? The footwork will be demonstrated soon… Wouldn’t it be good to see the progress your disciple has made?”

“The growth of a disciple…”

Smirk

Chung Heo responded with a crooked smile.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. I am fine. Please, continue watching.”

“Ugh…”

Rustle.

Chung Heo waved off the man who offered assistance and stepped out.

“Elder Chung Heo?”

“Elder Chung Heo?”

“…”

Many disciples attempted to offer him help along the way, but he continued on, tapping the ground with his cane.

Shhh

He looked back just once.

“…Sigh.”

But the stern expression on his face remained unchanged. He sighed, releasing the emotions he could not express.

Woahhh! Woahhhh!

As expected, the demonstration concluded successfully.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The elders applauded thunderously, while some of the disciples watching from afar threw their arms in the air with excited looks.

All of the martial arts that Seok-Hwi demonstrated were impressive, but the Illusion Demon Step particularly captivated the audience.

The moment he stamped his foot once, dozens of illusions sprang up. When they realized that the illusions had reached their peak and that there was no discernible difference between illusion and reality, they were filled with awe.

“Wonderful.”

“It is wonderful, Taoist Seok-Hwi. I am at a loss for words.”

“Such an impressive demonstration!”

As the elders offered their praise, Taoist Seol Hwi bowed to them.

Seol-Hwi, who was the same Seol-Hwi, responded to each of them and quietly walked out of the training hall. Welcomed by the cheers of the disciples who had lingered because of the elders, he soon stepped onto the quiet street.

Master was here…?

Seol-Hwi remembered.

At first glance, his master had come to the training hall. Up until now, he had been a direct disciple, witnessing many great things. In all instances, his master’s role had been pivotal.

Over the past 20 years, he had learned so much.

He had developed an attitude towards life, not just martial arts, and even how to handle people. For Seol-Hwi, who learned alone without a proper relationship with a teacher or master, this was his only educational experience.

For some reason, he didn’t look good.

What disturbed him was his master’s expression. Through all his wanderings, he had perfected the martial arts. He learned to complete the unfinished martial arts and practiced them differently.

Having lived as a disciple of Qingcheng for over 20 years now, he was confident that he understood the teachings they espoused.

But what had his master disliked?

With that thought, Seol-Hwi walked quickly.

“I — I would like to greet the former head…!”

When he entered, the Taoist who served him was taken aback. Seol-Hwi bowed and inquired.

“Is the master inside?”

“Yes.”

“Please inform him of my arrival.”

The Taoist spoke to Seol-Hwi, and soon permission was granted.

Seol-Hwi walked ahead, maintaining his composure.

What reason was behind it?

Before joining the Qingcheng Sect, he had completely eliminated the demonic energy built up in his body. In that manner, he constantly repeated the learning process in this place.

It was not easy. During that time, the smile of the teacher and the silent treatment were something he had never felt before.

It was literally a father-like feeling in this world.

“You came…”

Those thoughts were interrupted by the call of his master.

As he entered the room, Master Chung Heo beckoned to him and walked over.

“You did well.”

“Yes. All thanks to the master’s consideration.”

Fortunately, Seol-Hwi’s worries were all for nothing.

His master smiled brightly, and every word he spoke was the same as before.

He savored the memories, even if only for a moment. Seol-Hwi, missing his master from Kangho, spoke as much as he could remember, and his master smiled as he joined in the reminiscing.

He had not drunk alcohol.

Ever since the master began to feel ill, he had stopped drinking. And he lived with the promise that he would survive one more day solely for the sake of his disciple’s accomplishments.

After they talked and smiled for a while,

“Seok-Hwi, now you are a representative of the sect. You grew up so well.”

“No. I have a lot more to learn, Master.”

“Haha. You’ve absorbed all my knowledge, and you still want more out of greed? No more.”

Master laughed, and so did Seol-Hwi.

“The skills during the demonstration… what about the elders?”

“Everyone was pleased, though it still feels lacking.”

“Thank goodness. And the sect leader? Was he satisfied?”

“He was. He even asked for the details of the footwork.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes… Master? Why are you asking this?”

Suddenly, Chung Heo’s face turned serious, and then he sighed, organizing his thoughts.

“Right… if the sect leader admits it, there’s no doubt about it. Whether it’s true or not, it is Qingcheng’s first… Well, maybe we should leave it at that…”

“…Master?”

Something felt odd.

Elder Chung Heo looked as if he had lost his mind, mumbling something odd, as though talking to himself.

“I have to let go now… find a way.”

Then, as if a light had gone out, he spoke quietly.

“…Uh?”

“Didn’t you hear? I told you to let go of everything and then find a path you want to take…”

“…”

It felt creepy.

The voice was so clear despite the mumbling, and too serious to be considered a joke.

“Master, the disciple is confused and wondering what you are speaking about…”

“You succeeded in fooling everyone! I am telling you to leave now! Why are you pretending not to understand?”

“…!”

Finally, Elder Chung Heo exploded with rage.

It was only then that Seol-Hwi realized it. He knew what the man was saying.

“Master… the disciple was wrong. P-please tell me. Where did I go wrong?”

“You…”

But the anger continued to grow, and he was unable to speak. However, he soon calmed down and said,

“…Since even the sect leader didn’t notice, you thought you could fool the master.”

He said something which could npt be understood for a moment. His eyes were not simply looking at the ceiling but reflecting on memories. And at some point, he opened his mouth again,

“What is the sword of Qingcheng Sect?”

“No sword, no man. It means a man without a sword is no man. You must treat the sword as life and must sharpen the mind like a sword.”

“Then, what is the spirit of the sect?”

“He who stands on the blade faces death at any time. It is walking without a single regret in this fleeting life.”

“And the core of the sect?”

“Clear Wind Sword.”

“And what is that?”

“…Uh?”

Seol-Hwi asked back, but Elder Chung Heo pointed it out.

“Isn’t that the core of the sect? Then you should know what Clear Wind is.”

Clear Wind.

It derived from the Clear Wind Sword technique and could be succinctly described as Clear Nature.

“…”

But Seol-Hwi knew that this was not his question.

He was asking for words that were deeper and more meaningful, not just words that sounded like phrases from books.

“That is…”

Seol-Hwi could not easily answer.

No, actually, this was something he had not thought about before. He knew the core of the sword and the sect, but that was not what mattered.

No, he knew what he had to say.

“You’re asking what I am?”

“…”

Unable to answer the question, Seol-Hwi lowered his head. As he continued to hesitate, the elder spoke,

“No… are you trying to speak nonsense about the wind and stuff?”

“N-no.”

“But why can’t you answer? How can a guy who ascended to the top of Supreme Master not understand what it means!”

“…!”

Seol-Hwi’s face hardened at Chung Heo’s rebuke.

This was a completely unexpected question. No, to be honest, he had probably thought about it at least once. It was embarrassing that such an unexpected question was arising now.

In fact, Seol-Hwi climbed to Supreme Master without knowing what the core of the sect meant. And the master noticed it.

“Who are you?”

“…Uh?”

“In general, Qingcheng’s martial arts are like a whirlwind, coming down from the top. That is why it’s hard to spell out, and that’s why you cannot achieve greatness.”

“He who doesn’t know what the wind is cannot master the sect’s martial arts.”

“…”

“But you built it from the bottom. Just like Wudang and Shaolin. And yet, you acquired at least a form of Qingcheng’s martial arts… how can this not be bizarre?”

“…?!!!!”

Seol-Hwi felt goosebumps rise. Actually, while learning the technique, Seol-Hwi had filled in the parts he could not understand with that of Shaolin and Wudang.

This was something only he, who had a past life, knew about. and something his master should not know about.