Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Dark Heaven Village's moon?

What I'd gotten from Pengio was a riddle of a clue. Never mind the bizarre land called Dark Heaven Village having a heavenly stele—even that world had another moon? A flurry of questions swirled in my head, but Pengio was already gone. Soon, the binding spell on Gangsin lifted, and Cheon Woo-jin returned to normal. He pressed his temples hard with his index finger, as if his head throbbed, and said,

"Is your business done? Get out."

"Wait just a moment."

With a sigh, I handed him the White Ox Thread. Cheon Woo-jin took it with a blank look on his face. I bowed my head to him and said,

"I've been asking too much of you lately. It's not much in return, but I hope this smooths things over."

The apology was sincere. I'd never shared the black obsidian with him, yet I'd imposed on him far beyond what a comrade deserved, time and again. Instinct told me that souring things with Cheon Woo-jin further could bring pointless backlash or even harm, and guilt over my past requests pushed the words out. Cheon Woo-jin replied with a baffled expression.

"What? You're giving me a precious token like the White Ox Thread just for an apology? Are you an idiot?"

Sometimes, the human heart matters more than treasures.

"Good grief... Unbelievable. Don't you know how valuable this is?"

Cheon Woo-jin smirked and said,

"Fine. Consider my grudge settled with this."

"Thank you."

I turned to leave. Then Cheon Woo-jin called from behind.

"Wait!"

I turned back to him, and he said,

"I can't just take a token without giving something in return. Let me offer a few pointers."

"Pointers?"

Cheon Woo-jin nodded and said,

"First, the trick to mastering sorceries. This applies to most of them. You have zero talent, but knowing this will let you progress easily."

His words perked my ears.

"A trick that convenient exists?"

"Assuming you follow it properly."

"Tell me. I'll commit it to memory."

"When practicing sorceries, don't just follow the method—unify your mind through Righteous Path training while practicing both Left and Right Paths in tandem. When clearing stray thoughts, don't half-ass it; follow the rhythm of the Three Harmonies. And during Righteous Path meditation, align the qi-forging channels with the sorcery's spiritual conduits."

I pondered his words, then asked,

"You're saying to open the spiritual channels the same way we open the Eight Extraordinary Meridians for qi in martial arts?"

"Exactly."

"Hmm... I've never heard of such a training method. Spiritual energy has no fixed form—it's like water or clouds, wandering freely through the body. How could you forge it like qi..."

I let out a groan. And rightly so—Cheon Woo-jin's method shattered every framework of sorcery training I knew. Martial arts and sorcery differed fundamentally because qi and spiritual energy were inherently distinct. Qi permeates the five viscera and six bowels clearly, merging easily with blood vessels and meridians. Spiritual energy, being ethereal, was far more amorphous. That's why neither Mihu nor Mangnyang—my teachers in sorcery—had ever mentioned such an approach.

Cheon Woo-jin said,

"As I said, it's just a trick. With no talent to control spiritual power anyway, use this to at least set a baseline."

"Hmm."

"When a warrior sheds their mortal frame, a sorcerer gains the Law at the peak of their spiritual power. That's the insight I gained then."

Fair enough. Soul Incarnate Cheon Woo-jin, was in warrior terms, a transcendent being. For me—a mere intermediate sorcerer barely scratching the surface—to nitpick his method was not just arrogant but idiotic. Cheon Woo-jin continued nonchalantly,

"One more thing. Any questions or doubts about tokens or relics? Ask now. I'll answer."

His offer sparked an immediate question. I drew Hwayo and the Fire Dragon Divine Sword, gripping one in each hand. Cheon Woo-jin flinched slightly, sensing their spiritual auras, as I explained my situation.

"As you see, I'm using the immense fire energy latent in Hwayo to revive the Fire Dragon Divine Sword. I want to know if this is the right approach and when it might awaken."

"Let's see."

Cheon Woo-jin murmured an incantation, gathering spiritual energy in his eyes. After staring intently, he said,

"The divine spirit slumbering in the Fire Dragon Divine Sword is slowly opening its eyes. It's definitely working. No mistakes in the method—carry on."

"When will it awaken?"

"About three to seven days."

"That long..."

"Long? By your account, the Fire Dragon Divine Sword was drained of vitality for centuries, on the verge of breaking. When it revives, it'll reorder the hierarchy of all earthly tokens and divine swords. That's a blink."

True. Cheon Woo-jin went on,

"The Fire Dragon Divine Sword is an ultimate divine blade with the instinct of wave-riding manifestation. When it revives, keep that Zhuge sorcerer far away. It'll recognize him as an enemy instantly and burn him to ash with divine flames."

"I'll keep that in mind."

I'd need to carry the Fire Dragon Divine Sword and Hwayo for the time being. My final question:

"You know how Pengio used administrator privileges to lock the National Jade Seal's search function? Any sorcery to unlock it?"

"Not that I know of. The National Jade Seal is the supreme token forged by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors themselves. What could a mere human sorcerer do? If there's a way, beg the creator to release it."

"The creator..."

"Little River Golden Heaven. Summon him with a soul-summoning rite and ask."

At that moment, Cheon Woo-jin eyed me sharply.

"But don't expect my help. This settles our debts and bad blood."

No bluff. Helping with another soul-summoning rite this lifetime seemed impossible. Even if I convinced Elder Mangnyang to move him, Cheon Woo-jin would try to kill me the instant the rite ended. Accepting the hard limit, I raised my hands.

"Fine. I'll find another sorcerer."

"Smart move. Farewell."

"Take care."

I left Cheon Woo-jin and returned to the General Spirit Valley. Zhuge Sa looked dumbfounded as I relayed what Pengio had said.

"Dark Heaven Village's moon...? So we punch through the spider god guarding Dark Heaven Village and trek to the secret god's city...? That bastard Changhil hid in an insane spot."

"You know where Dark Heaven Village's moon is?"

"Yeah, I do."

Zhuge Sa sighed deeply.

"Damn it. Of all places, it's the most sinister, darkest, and dangerous in the demonic realm of Dark Heaven Village. Sorcerers dread it as much as the sunken R'lyeh. No normal method gets you there—not even if you died and revived ten times."

"That bad?"

"Obviously. Why? No sorcerer has ever gotten intel on it. They call it the 'End of the World.'"

"......"

Dark Heaven Village had a place like that?!

Finding the Changhil that Jeon Wook gave me suddenly felt far harder than I'd imagined.

"Goddamn... Headache."

Zhuge Sa spat curses, then glared at me.

"And why the hell did you give that prick Cheon Woo-jin the precious White Ox Thread like an idiot?"

"Ugh."

Here it comes.

I hemmed and hawed, then said,

"I thought it was the right thing."

"The right thing? Ha! Whether you gave it or not, he won't help us anymore. What's the point?"

"......"

"Well, it's not a total loss, so whatever."

Zhuge Sa eyed me unkindly, then continued.

"Still, we've made progress. Knowing it's Dark Heaven Village's moon means we might survive a few death traps."

"Use the Chaos Cauldron?"

I pulled out the Chaos Cauldron and held it. Without it, most of my adventures wouldn't work—it was that convenient and powerful. Plus, wasn't its original purpose to take its owner to a spot in Dark Heaven Village? I'd used it freely for travel so far, but following its lead to that spot would do it.

Zhuge Sa shook his head.

"No. Too risky. As I said before, it's a magic tool made for a 'purpose.' And its owner was Abdul Alhazred—one of history's top sorcerers. No way it's taking you there for anything good."

"Abdul Alhazred... So he's from beyond the Western Regions, in Persia?"

West of the Central Plains lay the Western Regions, but before that came the Frontier Wastes—home to outer barbarian kingdoms—and then Persia, even farther west across the great desert. I'd heard during travels that Persians used such names, so I asked.

Zhuge Sa said,

"Sorcerers are bound to the Central Plains and Seven Plateaus, but demonic sorcerers are everywhere. The [Ancient Ruler]'s shadow touches all, so anyone can make contact."

"Hmm."

"Bad vibes. If I were Abdul, I wouldn't set a benevolent destination. Follow the cauldron's purpose blindly, and you're dead."

"Then what? We can't reach Dark Heaven Village without it."

"Two alternatives."

Alternatives? I looked at him, and he smirked.

"Though nine out of ten times, you'll die trying."

"What..."

Zhuge Sa held up an index finger.

"First: Use dream divination to descend 70 steps, pass the gatekeeper's trial, then reclimb 700 steps to reach Dark Heaven Village's forest. The standard sorcerer route—but only a handful in history have passed the trial."

"Why?"

"It's a brutally tough test of all wisdom, courage, and mental fortitude. Fail, and your dream-self dissolves—you die. Even passing and reaching Dark Heaven Village isn't great. You'd face primordial demonic beasts and alien races in that forest and somehow survive."

"Tricky..."

Not appealing. Zhuge Sa raised another finger.

"Skip dream divination and directly find Dark Heaven Village's dimensional coordinates, then punch through a portal. No trial needed."

"Then that wa—"

He grinned maniacally.

"Heh heh. That pits you head-on with the [Ancient Ruler], lord of all spiders. Want to fight the [Ancient Ruler]? It's Dark Heaven Village's gatekeeper."

"......"

"That's why Dark Heaven Village is impossible. No human can go, or should."

I felt a sigh rising.

"Damn it... What now?"

I'd pinpointed Changhil to Dark Heaven Village's moon, but every path there demanded ten spare lives—terrifying risks. Any choice likely wasted this lifetime. Delay, and Jeon Wook's 10-year deadline vanishes, mission failed!

Stuck between a rock and a hard place. As I pondered, Zhuge Sa said,

"But don't worry. We have the Nameless Ritual Tome."

He drew the Nameless Ritual Tome from his bosom, brimming with confidence.

"While you were gone, I devoured it obsessively. This grimoire's knowledge is bottomless. Research it, and we might find a safe path to Dark Heaven Village's moon."

"Ooh!"

Makes sense. Supreme grimoire—the Nameless Ritual Tome! High chance it holds Dark Heaven Village lore! Hope sparked; I clenched my fist. Zhuge Sa said,

"So I need time to study it. Gear up, train in the meantime."

"What about me?"

"Surely you don't need me to spell it out? If you're worried about having too much to do, I've got nothing."

Chided, I scratched my head.

"Got it."

He was right. My training and tasks piled high regardless of Dark Heaven Village. Prioritize, temper myself—that was my homework now.

I withdrew from Zhuge Sa, gripping Hwayo and the Fire Dragon Divine Sword. Vast fire energy surged through my body ceaselessly. Staring at the blades, I muttered,

"Three to seven days... Figure out how to wield them in the meantime."

Ways to wield two blades.

As far as I knew, two methods existed.

Master them, seize ultimate power!

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