Chapter 35: True Immortal Cheongun's Legacy
Of course, I didn't mean that the real, living True Immortal Cheongun had suddenly appeared before me.
A man from two hundred years ago couldn't simply show up out of nowhere.
And in truth, the figure didn't look entirely human.
Its shape was clear, but oddly hazy, as though wrapped in a thin veil.
Most likely...
this was an embodiment of intent.
A manifestation formed from the will and energy that True Immortal Cheongun had left behind here.
For a supreme master said to have ascended beyond mortality, leaving behind something like this probably wasn't impossible.
Then...
the figure raised its right hand.
SHWAAAAA!
A ripple spread through the air as though something invisible had sliced across it.
The old sword marks on the walls immediately responded, glowing with a silver sheen.
I couldn't help holding my breath.
...Don't tell me.
The figure's fingertips slowly traced through the air.
An invisible line extended outward.
Swish...
The "Flow" created by that invisible line overlapped perfectly with the curved marks carved into the wall.
Those graceful curves.
At first, I had assumed they were sword scars left by sword aura powerful enough to cut through stone.
But I had been wrong.
They hadn't been carved by a sword.
They had been drawn through the flow of qi itself.
Formless Sword...
So that legendary realm really exists.
A realm I had only ever heard about in stories.
A supreme state where one could cut all things using nothing but the flow of qi.
And now...
that Formless Sword was unfolding right before my eyes.
I swallowed.
The figure kept one hand extended and smoothly turned its body to the side.
At once, the straight sword marks on the opposite wall glowed faintly blue.
SHWAAAAA!
An invisible edge cut directly through the air and extended toward the wall.
A wave-like sword force surged in a straight line, leaving behind a clear trajectory as though slicing through solid rock.
Then the figure took a single step.
Hummm...
Each time its foot moved, the traces left on the floor lit up one after another.
The shifting center of gravity.
The length of each step.
The distribution of weight.
Every movement matched the flow of the footwork perfectly.
Then...
afterimages began spreading behind the figure.
One.
Two.
Three.
Soon, dozens of afterimages appeared.
Each moved along a different pattern, following the sword marks on the walls and the traces on the floor.
Some cut graceful curves with the Formless Sword.
Others soared upward as though nearly touching the ceiling before descending again and perfectly stepping along the footwork paths below.
The movements were similar...
yet all different.
The Flow was the same...
yet each texture was distinct.
It was as though decades upon decades of accumulated training had unfolded all at once.
Before that overwhelming depth of martial attainment...
I couldn't even breathe.
...So this is the "Flow" True Immortal Cheongun left behind?
Then...
the dozens of afterimages slowly began merging together.
They became one figure again.
The embodiment raised its fingertips.
The air trembled.
Quietly.
Yet overwhelmingly.
SHWAAAAAA!
A massive Flow exploded outward and shook the underground chamber.
The curved sword marks on the walls.
The footwork traces across the floor.
Even the faint ripples reaching the ceiling.
Every trace left behind underground flashed silver at the same time.
All of those currents gathered into one.
At the center...
a single perfect line formed, shining brilliantly.
One supreme thread.
Absolute.
Flawless.
A perfect Flow containing no forced strength whatsoever.
I stared at it, forgetting even to breathe.
The final thread passed through the air.
Then every lingering light inside the underground chamber shattered apart.
Silence returned.
The embodiment vanished.
The Formless Sword vanished.
The Flow vanished.
Only the pale glow of the Night Pearls remained, softly illuminating the empty darkness.
“Haa... haa....”
It took a long time before I could finally breathe again.
Until moments ago, even exhaling had felt impossible.
My entire body was still trembling from the shock of witnessing something so overwhelming.
Flow....
What I had just seen wasn't merely a demonstration of sword paths.
It was an enlightenment True Immortal Cheongun had attained during his lifetime.
The deepest root of martial arts itself.
I had witnessed that realm with my own eyes.
It was impossible to explain with words.
But one thing felt certain.
If I could properly understand what I had just seen...
my martial realm wouldn't merely rise by one level.
It would leap several levels.
My instincts told me that.
My senses told me that.
“Damn it....”
I bit my lip.
It had felt so close.
The enlightenment True Immortal Cheongun called "Flow."
I had almost grasped it.
But...
it disappeared right before my fingers could close around it.
Like smoke scattering instantly into the air.
It had seemed close enough to touch...
yet I had fallen short by only one step.
One final edge.
If only...
if only I could see it just a little longer.
This wasn't simple regret.
It was desperation.
The kind that made me want to reach out and grab it with both hands.
That desperate feeling tightened around my heart.
Then...
"...Huh?"
A sudden sensation flashed deep inside my mind.
At the same time, I felt my consciousness being pulled toward a single point.
Then...
[The "Flow" of True Intent has been engraved.]
The short message flashed before my eyes.
Then it spread apart like ink in water and disappeared.
"...Engraved?"
My breath caught.
“Don't tell me...!”
More words appeared immediately.
[The engraved Flow can be reproduced.]
[Would you like to reproduce it?]
My heart began pounding.
...It can be reproduced?
Unbelievable anticipation rose from deep inside me.
That final supreme thread I had failed to grasp...
I might be able to see it again.
My entire body trembled at the thought.
I didn't hesitate.
Permit reproduction.
[According to the Awakened One's will, the engraved Flow will now be reproduced.]
The familiar voice echoed inside my head.
The words vanished.
Then...
...!
It felt as though my senses suddenly sank one layer deeper.
Without realizing it, I closed my eyes.
Inside the pitch-black darkness...
a faint light appeared.
It wasn't real light.
It seemed to bloom from somewhere deep within my consciousness.
Swish...
