Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Dark Heaven Village

After bringing Cheon Woo-jin here, I handed him the obsidian containing the memories.

Cheon Woo-jin openly showed a suspicious expression, but after Mang-ryang persuaded him that it was fine, he accepted it as if he had no choice.

Normally, he wouldn't have taken it no matter how much Mang-ryang tried to convince him, but since he was stuck as my colleague for two years because of Venerable Mang-ryang, he went along with it.

Wooong

As soon as Cheon Woo-jin absorbed the memories, his eyes widened in bewilderment, and then he glared at me.

“You bastard… This isn't the first or second time. How many times are you going to try to use me?”

“Understand him, junior brother. Baek Woong is…”

Cheon Woo-jin continued in a displeased tone.

“Damn it! Humanity's fate in the hands of a guy like this… Unbelievable.”

“… …”

“I haven't acknowledged you yet. But I'll do my job properly for these two years.”

Grumbling curtly, Cheon Woo-jin still looked angry, but he didn't seem like he was about to cause a scene out of nowhere. He clearly understood the situation he was in.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly and said to Cheon Woo-jin.

“Cheon Woo-jin. I have a question.”

“What?”

“If you push spell arts to the absolute limit, would it work on gods?”

This was a question only for Cheon Woo-jin, one of the top spell masters in the Central Plains and a Phantom God. Since he had reached the pinnacle of spell arts, he could compare it to the power of gods.

“Hmm, that question…”

Cheon Woo-jin leaned back deeply in his chair and replied.

“It would.”

“It would?!”

“Spell arts are essentially the power of the gods too. They originate from the Eight Trigrams bestowed by Fuxi, making them one of the authorities of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. In a way, spell masters are like priests of the gods in a different form from sorcerers.”

Cheon Woo-jin continued, offering a fresh perspective.

“I'm aware of cases where gods were actually captured. The Great Thunder Immortals use spell arts too, and legend has it that in ancient times, they banded together to seal a powerful god.”

“Really? Who was it?”

“It's just a rumor floating around the Heavenly Realm, so I don't know the details. But it's certain that spell arts at their peak can pierce even gods.”

At that moment, Mang-ryang spoke up.

“Junior brother. Then, can you perform spell arts that would work on gods?”

“… …”

Cheon Woo-jin fell silent, pondering deeply. It seemed like a weighty issue even for him.

After a long while, he said.

“My power has grown tremendously thanks to divine grace, so defense is possible. But I don't have spell arts capable of dealing a fatal blow to a god. I could develop them artificially, but it would take at least decades or centuries of dedicated research into god-slaying spells.”

“I see…”

Cheon Woo-jin drew a firm line.

“I'll say this upfront: if things escalate like in your previous life to fighting Demon Kings or Apostles, I won't be of much help. At that point, I'll focus solely on protecting myself.”

It sounded selfish, but it was also a realistic limitation. Even Cheon Woo-jin couldn't guarantee victory against Demon King or Apostle-level beings.

Mang-ryang said.

“Junior brother. While you're staying here from now on, teach me spell arts.”

“Got it.”

“And soon, when the three great powers' meeting convenes, we need to detect it with the Thousand-Li Eye spell.”

“I figured you'd want that. It's entirely doable.”

After recruiting Cheon Woo-jin, I went to see Je-gal-sa, who looked somewhat displeased.

“Two years? That's all you could get?”

“I tried to extend it as much as possible, but Venerable Mang-ryang made it final…”

“Damn. That Cheon Woo-jin bastard should work like a dog for at least ten years. Otherwise, keeping the Twelve Laws and White Lotus Church in check will be too much…”

Grumbling, Je-gal-sa said.

“No helping it. Starting today, halt your alchemy studies and learn spell arts from Cheon Woo-jin along with Mang-ryang.”

“Huh?! That's too sudden.”

“You've built the basics of alchemy over the past year anyway. You can make use of it in your next life.

I had you studying to refine your realm, so now it's time to temper your spell arts as well.”

“Hmm…”

“You've never properly delved into spell arts before. You need to learn as much as you can from Phantom God Cheon Woo-jin during these two years he's in the Valley of Spirits.”

I felt secretly pleased.

‘Alchemy studies were getting tedious anyway. Perfect!’

Holed up day after day studying minerals and herbs, practicing combinations—it was soul-crushing.

The prospect of new studies made my heart race. But having Cheon Woo-jin as my master was a slight drawback. Learning under a guy who showed discomfort at every turn wouldn't be easy.

And so, from that day, I began learning spell arts from Cheon Woo-jin. Mang-ryang was too busy preparing for the tripartite talks, so it was one-on-one lessons.

Cheon Woo-jin openly showed his dislike and said.

“Even if you're learning spell arts, you need a goal. What goal are you aiming for with spell arts?”

“Someday, I want to use spell arts to defeat the [Ancient Ruler]!”

When I answered confidently, Cheon Woo-jin sneered coldly.

“Damn. Cut the bullshit and tell me a realistic goal you can achieve within a hundred years. I'll tailor the curriculum to that.”

“… …”

Dismissed as nonsense in an instant, I felt annoyed, but I knew I'd overstated it.

After thinking for a moment, I said.

“I want to fully master Peaceful Demon Sorcery while maximizing the Yin God Power I currently possess.”

“Are you sure the Yin God Power you received from Jeon-uk is still inside you?”

“Yeah.”

“You've got a good grasp of your own situation. So, what's your current attainment?”

“Uh… I haven't trained it much.”

I answered honestly. Truth be told, gathering nonexistent talent to push even one martial art to absolute mastery had been overwhelming.

Moreover, I'd heard my spell art talent was inferior to my martial arts, so I hadn't dared invest time in it.

Cheon Woo-jin thought for a moment and said.

“You've lived dozens of lives and subtly accumulated a lot of spiritual power. You nurtured spell power over ten years carrying the artifact from the fox spirit, your spiritual power rose each time you made offerings to the Nine-Tailed Fox, and you even gained Yin God Power. At this point, your pure spiritual power rivals that of a high-level spell master.”

“Ooh!”

“Your foundational potential for spell arts is high.”

Why was this guy suddenly giving me a compliment? I was inwardly delighted, but Cheon Woo-jin continued.

“But you'll clearly never master spells requiring complex spiritual senses. Even fifty years of training, and upper-level spells would be out of reach. You're not cut out to be a spell master. You're the complete opposite of your senior brother, who was intelligent but born with scant spiritual power.”

“… …”

“That's why the Peaceful Demon Sorcery school doesn't suit you either. It demands innate intellect and talent too.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

Cheon Woo-jin crossed his arms.

“There have been cases in spell history where types like you achieved great success. You're an innate spell master who can only wield raw, inborn power. Think of yourself as a half-demon spell master inheriting god-demon bloodline. In that case, expand and breakthrough using Yin God Power, reach mastery in that path first, then leverage that proficiency to master Peaceful Demon Sorcery afterward.”

“So I can't learn Peaceful Demon Sorcery right now.”

Grasping Cheon Woo-jin's point, I asked.

“How do I break through with Yin God Power?”

“Yin God Power is Taiyin, a special spiritual power even ordinary human Taoists struggle to obtain no matter how much they train. It's an attribute transcending normal yin-yang. So for you, who possesses it, the priority is steadily expanding its Taiyin potential through consistent training.”

Cheon Woo-jin pointed his finger at a sheer cliff near the Valley of Spirits.

“Starting today, sit at the edge of that cliff every night and meditate while channeling Yin God Power. Not all day—just from midnight (Zi hour) to Tiger hour (Yin hour), when yin energy peaks, using the breathing method I'll teach you.”

“Got it.”

“And in your spare time, I'll review your pathetic basic spell arts.”

“Do you have to rub it in like that every time?”

“Then are they not pathetic?”

“… …”

Cheon Woo-jin genuinely thought my level was pathetic, not just trash-talking, so I had nothing to say.

I ground my teeth inwardly.

‘Damn! What can I do about having no talent?’

From now on, if I trained hard, I could get stronger, right?

Grumbling, I climbed the mountain and practiced the meditation breathing method Cheon Woo-jin taught me.

On the first day, Cheon Woo-jin came up with me to check my Yin God Power and oversee my training.

Wooooo—

As Taiyin power and Yin God Power surged from my body, a pale blue light swirled around me.

Watching from behind, Cheon Woo-jin said.

“Slowly cultivate your inner spiritual power.”

Thwack!

Cheon Woo-jin suddenly struck my head with a bamboo slip. I could have dodged, but I couldn't move carelessly during training.

Cheon Woo-jin openly vented his irritation.

“I said cultivate spiritual power—why are you raising qi? Why are you circulating energy?”

“Urgh… The paths for the two powers are similar…”

“If you want to master both martial arts and spell arts to the peak, you need to distinguish them properly. Restart the breathing method.”

Thwack

Thwack

After getting hit dozens of times with the bamboo slip, I finally refined the breathing method properly.

Cheon Woo-jin said.

“This training progresses faster the stronger the moon's energy. Best on full moon nights.”

“What about new moons or moonless nights? Can't train then?”

“No issue. As long as you do it at night, there's some effect.”

“How long until I master Yin God Power?”

As he scanned my spiritual power at my question, Cheon Woo-jin replied.

“If you keep this pace daily… about 250 years? Then you can spiritualize Yin God Power for use. Peaceful Demon Sorcery will come naturally too.”

“… You're joking, right?”

“Does it look like I'm joking?”

Cheon Woo-jin didn't have joking eyes.

“… …”

Meditating on the cliff for three double-hours every night, and it still takes 250 years to master Yin God Power!

Dumbfounded, I was speechless, and Cheon Woo-jin said.

“You're still in a good position. For an ordinary human to build your current Yin God Power from nothing would take 200 years on a spiritual mountain. You're already ahead by 200 years of training.”

“Haa…”

“Indeed, one meal at the gods' banquet is a jackpot. Any cultivating yokai would envy you.”

“Any way to shorten the time?”

I said plaintively.

“No matter what, I can't just train for 250 years straight!”

Even half a year or a year in seclusion wears humans down. Some go mad after a decade of pure training.

250 years would be utterly unbearable. Yokai might manage with their endless time, but not me.

Cheon Woo-jin replied with a look at a fool.

“How should I know? Figure it out yourself.”

“Urgh…”

Yeah, that's how he is.

Enduring Cheon Woo-jin's prickly, uncomfortable gaze, I trained in Yin God Power and basic spell arts for a fortnight under him.

And just over a fortnight later, Mang-ryang called a meeting.

“The time has finally come.”

Mang-ryang emphasized.

“Tomorrow! The tripartite summit will take place in the capital Luoyang. The White Lotus Leader, the Vermilion Bird, and the Twelve Laws Lord will surely all attend.”

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