Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

The current me had two ways to effectively wield the Fire Day's Gan Jiang and the Fire Dragon Divine Sword: Reverse Dual Blades and Twin Swordsmanship. The former was the No Flow style practiced by Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro, a blade art using a long sword and a short sword. The latter was twin swordsmanship, a unique school that occasionally emerged in the Central Plains as a branch of swordsmanship, though it wasn't common.

Like it or not, I was in a situation where I had to choose and master one of them. That was because I knew one major secret.

[Find the Fire Day's Gan Jiang and release it.]

[As far as I know, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye are a pair among the Seven Luminaries. I've heard that using Gan Jiang and Mo Ye together grants a tremendous power capable of slaying even gods.]

Information given to me by Mangliang Zen Master during one of my past reincarnations!

The info that Water Day and Fire Day were created as a pair from the start among the Seven Luminaries. That's why they could exhibit power surpassing the destructive force unleashed when Water Day and Moon Day resonated, a might even said to be capable of slaying gods. That's the reason I'd pulled out all the stops to obtain Fire Day so far.

Right now, I had both Water Day and Fire Day in my possession. But only Fire Day had been released; Water Day remained sealed. I could force it by finding a high-grade sorcerer to perform the unsealing ritual, but I'd deliberately held off on releasing Water Day. Because even if I asked, Jeon Wook would clearly balk at it.

The more of the Seven Luminaries one obtained, the greater the power the possessor gained, but fully unsealing them meant the wedge existing in the East would be removed, breaking the armistice between the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and the [Ancient Ruler]. And if Water Day followed Fire Day in being released—on top of Thursday Day already being freed—that would make three Luminaries unsealed, something Nüwa was extremely wary of and opposed to. Jeon Wook wouldn't ignore her stance either.

"Hmm... Reverse Dual Blades has proven power, but..."

The night of Reverse Dual Blades as recorded in the Book of Five Rings was no joke. It had instantly elevated Kojiro, a mere talented warrior, to the pinnacle of swordsmen in the East, and the true owner, Miyamoto Musashi, had reached the Absolute Realm. Reverse Dual Blades from the Book of Five Rings was one of the strongest existing martial arts, practically guaranteeing the Absolute Realm.

But it was an art that demanded exceptional talent. The Sword Demon had outright called it a martial art for geniuses only, so its difficulty was self-evident. For someone like me, whose martial talent was below average, mastering it was next to impossible.

Did that mean I should learn Incarnation Style's twin swordsmanship instead?

"......"

This was ambiguous too. Just because Reverse Dual Blades was hard didn't make twin swordsmanship easy. Moreover, to learn Incarnation Style's arts, I'd have to join them, which meant forging ties with the White Lotus Cult—a major variable for my future actions. I also couldn't predict how they'd view my current martial arts.

After agonizing for a while, I decided to consult the Sword Demon first. He was the most trustworthy person I could ask for advice on martial learning right now.

Flash.

"Oh, you've come."

The Sword Demon spoke welcomingly.

"I was wondering when you'd show up."

"It's been a while."

"Haha. Sit down."

I exchanged stories with the Sword Demon about what had happened in the meantime. After hearing me out, he nodded gravely.

"Indeed... To wield divine-grade weapons in both hands, you need twin swords or Reverse Dual Blades... That's a solid idea."

"But as you know, both are quite difficult."

"You're right. You've been used to spear and sword so far, but twin swords and Reverse Dual Blades are entirely different realms of martial arts. It's like starting over from beginner."

Muttering to himself, the Sword Demon said,

"Hmm... In the meantime, I've worked with my master to greatly expand the Shadowless Alliance. I've even taken over the Anhui martial world that the Nangong Family held, and I've signed a non-aggression pact with Wudang Sect. Soon, I'll subjugate all Eight Demonic Sects."

"Already?"

I was a bit surprised. It hadn't been long since I'd parted from the Sword Demon, and not much time had passed since wiping out the Nangong Family's leadership. Yet the Shadowless Alliance's power had grown enough for its leader to claim supremacy over the Eight Demonic Sects. The Sword Demon replied,

"My master helped a lot. With this power, I intend to help you to the best of my ability."

"Thank you."

"As part of that... First, I'll do my utmost to find a twin sword master in the martial world. Even if not Incarnation Style's twin swordsmanship, learning from someone who's reached mastery should help you, right?"

"If you could..."

I felt the Shadowless Alliance would be a huge help. The Sword Demon's influence now blanketed the Black Path and rivaled or surpassed the Nine Great Sects and Eight Schools, so his aid in finding talent or resources would be immense. As I inwardly rejoiced, the Sword Demon said,

"And there are two more methods."

"Yes?"

"One... I can do right here, right now."

The Sword Demon shouted outside.

"Bring Little Jiro Guardian."

Soon, Sasaki Kojiro walked up to us. It seemed he'd been given the name Little Jiro since calling him by his Eastern name was awkward. Sasaki Kojiro stared at us with a stoic face, and the Sword Demon said,

"Little Jiro Guardian. I have a consultation only a Reverse Dual Blades master like you can provide."

"I'll do as the Alliance Lord wishes."

"It's about Baek Woong here..."

The Sword Demon explained to Sasaki Kojiro why I wanted twin swordsmanship or Reverse Dual Blades and how to train in them. Sasaki Kojiro closed his eyes, thought long and hard, then spoke haltingly in Central Plains tongue.

"I'll teach you directly. Baek Woong, follow me."

We followed Sasaki Kojiro to the training ground. Kojiro had me draw a short sword and long sword, tossing one of each for me to catch. Then he said,

"You seem fluent in Eastern tongue, so I'll explain in Eastern."

"Do."

Kojiro explained slowly in his native tongue.

"As you think, Reverse Dual Blades and twin swords are fundamentally different sword arts from birth. Reverse Dual Blades uses dual blades of differing lengths, unlike the flow of 'nothingness' pursued in twin swords. Try blocking my opening moves for just ten exchanges using Reverse Dual Blades skillfully."

"Got it."

Scree.

Clang!

I blocked Kojiro's incoming attacks with Reverse Dual Blades. Since his skill was far below mine, I expected to handle it leisurely. But by the third exchange, my hands and feet tangled slightly, creating an involuntary gap in my stance. By the seventh, cold sweat broke out, and by the tenth, I couldn't block head-on, dodging purely on reflexes and footwork.

Kojiro stepped back after ten exchanges and said,

"Even if it's your first time holding Reverse Dual Blades, you felt it just now. It's not just about seamless offense and defense—it demands extreme intuition and battle sense. Attack takes priority over defense. It's the opposite of twin swordsmanship, which balances left and right swords for perfect offense and defense. Reverse Dual Blades is aggressive by nature."

"I see...!!"

From Kojiro's explanation, I instantly grasped the difference between the two martial arts. Experiencing it once beat a hundred words. Facing a Reverse Dual Blades master while holding the blades myself made it clearer than anything. Kojiro continued,

"Since the basic stances differ from the start, I advise against learning both."

"Good advice. Thank you."

I'd gotten solid advice from Kojiro. After he left, I relayed our conversation to the Sword Demon. He listened delightedly and laughed.

"Haha. Indeed!"

"I think I'll go with twin swordsmanship after all."

"Yes, that makes sense. Then I'll tell you the other method."

"Another method?"

When I asked back, the Sword Demon sat in his chair and answered.

"Twin sword masters are rare, but... Incarnation Style has them, somewhere in the Central Plains martial world too, and definitely one more place."

"......?"

"Thunder God Style."

"Gasp!"

It was something I hadn't considered, so I gasped. Leaning forward, the Sword Demon said,

"From what I saw in your obsidian, there's definitely a unique branch of Thunder God Style called Ghost Soul Branch. They specialize not just in blade or hand arts, but twin swords and other unusual martial arts. Finding a Thunder God Style expert from Ghost Soul Branch is an option."

That's right. Back when I learned with Thunder God Style prodigies, the previous-generation Thunder God Style Guardian, Nokwol, had taught me Ghost Soul Branch's unique arts: Magnetic Lightning Ghost Blade and Dark King Hand. With my talent, I could only grasp basic stances and forms, but that's how I connected with Ghost Soul Branch. Nokwol had also boasted that his sect had twin swords, hidden weapons, and diverse arts.

Hesitating, I said,

"Hmm... I'd like to save that as a last resort."

"Don't want to contact Thunder God Style? A twin sword master from there would surely be an expert."

"......"

"Understood. Then I'll look into it first."

"Thank you."

Finding Nokwol would be easy. He led the Ink Moon Group, lurking in the Black Path aiming for Thunder God Style's resurgence. Since the Sword Demon had inherited my obsidian memories, he could locate Nokwol and his forces anytime if he wanted—which is why he asked me. But contacting Nokwol was something I wanted to avoid for now.

'Hmm... The answer is still Incarnation Style's...'

Deep down, among the options, I thought the best was Incarnation Style's twin swordsmanship. No, I'd vaguely known that even before coming to the Sword Demon. But after dying so many times, I'd developed a habit of brainstorming every possible method, going around in circles.

As I pondered, the Sword Demon said,

"Baek Woong. Can you properly teach me the Seven Great Ultimate Arts?"

"Yes. I'll do that."

It felt better to refine what I already had with the Sword Demon for now. With my mind a mess and no immediate solution, it was time to train. I decided to stay at Shadowless Gate for a while and pass on the Seven Great Ultimate Arts to him.

I cut a portion from the giant obsidian, imprinted it with martial memories, and transmitted it to the Sword Demon. He savored the memories for a moment, then exclaimed in admiration.

"Indeed! Excellent."

"Then I'll train too."

"By all means. I'll provide space for you."

The Sword Demon prepared a large annex for me to stay in and assigned maids. For the first time in a while, I had an environment to train alone.

'Great Separation Art, Supreme Peace Arts, Seven Great Ultimate Arts...'

Three things to train. Reviewing what I had before tackling the new field of twin swordsmanship wasn't bad at all. Plus, after my nineteenth death, I hadn't properly revisited the Seven Great Ultimate Arts' eight possibilities, making training even more urgent.

The eight possibilities created by previous-generation Thunder God Style practitioner Yi Cheong-un through research on the Seven Great Ultimate Arts were as follows.

Three Steps Absolute Skill

Spider Dark King

Heaven-Reversing Treasure Wheel

Remnant Sky Cloud Radiance

Ninety-Nine Rational Ghost Returns

Five Elements Rigid Energy

Seven Stars Burst Thunder Finger

As-Intended Spirit Illumination

Strictly speaking, Three Steps Absolute Skill and Spider Dark King weren't created by Yi Cheong-un; he had merely systematized them. So purely his creations totaled six. I'd barely mastered Three Steps Absolute Skill so far, and thinking about acquiring the remaining seven made my vision go dark.

'But... I still need to solidify the basics so I don't forget!'

My talent is lacking. Yet I'd always done my utmost, borrowing others' talents to acquire martial arts and sorcery. Even if I'm just a treasure trove passing on martial arts, I'll surely gain the ultimate power to defeat the gods who rule heaven and earth!

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