Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Paht!

I headed underground in the imperial palace with Cheon Woo-jin. He chanted an incantation, briefly opening a path through the barrier guarding the National Jade Seal. I slipped inside, became its master, and then exited. I said to Cheon Woo-jin,

"Cheon Woo-jin. About restoring the Fire Dragon Divine Sword sealed in Luoyang..."

He glanced at me, and I spoke cautiously.

"Is there a way to do it without Yeo Dong-bin's help? As far as I know, you're the foremost authority on sorcery..."

"Why? Isn't his terminal connected? You could just get his help."

"I don't want to rely too heavily on Yeo Dong-bin, especially since we might end up enemies with the Heavenly Realm in the future. If there's another way, I'd like to know it..."

Cheon Woo-jin replied as if understanding my point.

"Yeah."

"That said, deliberately using a severance incantation to drive him away would make his help regrettable when we need it, and it's useless for breaking seals anyway."

"...Fair enough."

Breaking the seal underground in Luoyang with Yeo Dong-bin's help would be easy. But considering he went to extremes with that expedient sword technique to sever ties with the Heavenly Realm, being bound as a subordinate of the Great Luo Immortal might be a bigger constraint than I thought. Plus, we'd clashed before over liberating the Seven Desires, so I didn't want to depend on him too much.

Yeo Dong-bin wasn't one to casually leak info to the Heavenly Realm, but if our bond wasn't deep, he'd side with them without hesitation. I'd felt that in past lives—his loyalty to a mere terminal connection wasn't strong. Building true trust with him required its own process.

Cheon Woo-jin suddenly said,

"You're ultimately choosing the path of fighting alone. Unconsciously picking that option..."

"What?"

"No, just talking to myself."

He brushed it off and explained.

"In the end, reviving the shattered Fire Dragon Divine Sword and reinforcing the seal means awakening the spirit of the Fire Dragon True Person—its very essence—and strengthening her power. Yeo Dong-bin can summon and awaken her, or you'd have to trigger a spirit summoning with something like the Nine Stars Origin Scripture."

"Hmm."

"Normally impossible, but with your current state, you might awaken the Fire Dragon True Person's latent spirit in the sword on your own."

"Really?"

Cheon Woo-jin nodded.

"In your last life, you awakened the Fire Dragon Divine Sword and formed a bond with the Fire Dragon True Person. With the terminal still connected, reaching out through it might awaken her like Yeo Dong-bin..."

He trailed off, then added,

"It'll depend on how deep your bond with her is."

"What do you mean?"

"The reason Yeo Dong-bin can awaken her from utter ruin is their master-disciple bond runs incredibly deep. A thousand years ago, they risked their lives together in thousands of demon subjugations, ultimately slaying the apocalyptic Ancient Dragon to save the world—heroes and mentor-student. But you don't have that level of connection with her, do you?"

"..."

He was right. At best, I'd restored and revived the Fire Dragon Divine Sword and shared a brief time as allies. Curious, I asked Cheon Woo-jin,

"Is the power of bonds that crucial? Is the power of bonds some kind of sorcery?"

"Hmm... The power of bonds doesn't translate well into sorcery terms, so you might not know."

Cheon Woo-jin looked around and said,

"Let's get out of the seal first. Lingering too long risks detection."

"Got it."

Paht!

I emerged with Cheon Woo-jin to a quiet spot in the outside world. He sat on a nearby rock and began explaining.

"Bonds are threads. The most intimate force in existence."

"Threads?"

"You already know about causality. It's the law binding even divinities: cause leads to effect... The world's simplest, most absolute rule. Only one being in this universe—across eons and futures—transcends it, but it's so exalted discussing it is pointless. Practically the greatest law."

He interlaced his fingers and continued.

"And causality weaves intangible threads: bonds. Every existence in this world—living, non-living, divine, non-divine—forms through interactions. Bonds arise from causality's effects, so no divinity can tamper with or sever them lightly. You can manipulate space-time freely, but not bonds."

"Hoo..."

"These threads cluster into the foundation of all sorcery and spells, the core of contracts. Even the [Ancient Rulers] exist within the loops of bonds. They too were born from some [cause], right?"

"Hmm... Makes sense."

He was spot on. Unless born from perfect void ignoring space-time without reason, nothing escapes causality.

"Sorcerers don't delve deep into bonds. Basic knowledge suffices—no big deal. Serious bond sorcery is either trivial or impossibly advanced, so it's avoided. But know this: bonds have another property."

"Another property?"

Cheon Woo-jin nodded.

"Bonds are also fate—pure [power] beyond sorcery."

"...!!"

"Strong bonds wield supernatural force without spells—no chants, mudras, sacrifices needed. That's why Yeo Dong-bin, no more sorcerer immortal, awakens the Fire Dragon True Person with a mere call."

Grasping his explanation, I cautiously asked,

"So strong bonds create miracles?"

"You could say that. You've experienced it a few times, right?"

"What?"

"In your reincarnations, amid hopelessly tangled messes, bonds with those around you suddenly turned things around—miraculous reversals. Absurd gambits worked. I think that's the 'power' of bonds at play."

"..."

"But this is beyond sorcery's core theory, so sorcerers don't discuss it. Sorcery's system from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors has limits too... It's too profound for human scope."

"Hmm..."

Pondering how to forge a deep bond with the Fire Dragon True Person from his words, Cheon Woo-jin smirked.

"Don't even think it. The power of bonds can't be exploited or controlled at will. Fake bonds fade fast. Even I, called Soul Transformer, can't artificially manipulate true bonds. It's like puppeteering the world's fate."

"I see..."

"No sorcery or expedient wields the pure 'power' of bonds as far as I know. Humans could never create one."

Impossible for human power, huh...

Cheon Woo-jin said,

"If you insist on bonding with her, rather than forcing closeness, resolve the regrets she harbors. Her sealing in the Fire Dragon Divine Sword stems from special circumstances."

"Right!"

His advice rang true. Approaching a Great Luo Immortal and Nine Heavens Dragon incarnate as a mere human for friendship would be pointless. Feeling greatly aided by his explanation, a strange mood hit me as I stared at him.

"What're you staring at?"

"Why so helpful today? You're never like this..."

Cheon Woo-jin snorted.

"Hah! Complain if I don't, nitpick if I do—what's your deal, you ungrateful punk?"

"..."

"Anyway, nothing more, so I'm off..."

"Wait!!"

I grabbed Cheon Woo-jin urgently. He openly scowled.

"What now?"

"Well, actually..."

I confided my worry: [memory leakage]. After explaining, I said to him,

"At this rate, memories will keep leaking—maybe unbearable in a hundred years. Any way to store them clearly?"

Cheon Woo-jin pondered, then said,

"Hmm... No clue. I know memory enhancements surpassing the Thunder Scripture, but none solve your root issue. The Thunder Scripture already boosts memory hugely—no qualitative leap, and with millennia of lives, you'll end up amnesiac."

"Damn it! Don't talk like it's someone else's problem. It's serious for me."

He sneered.

"It's someone else's, so I talk like it—idiot?"

"..."

"Above all, without knowing your reincarnation principle, preserving memories is guesswork. Talk to Zhuge Sa first, then ask me again."

Paht!

Cheon Woo-jin vanished via shrinking steps, annoyed. No more patience for my woes. Disappointing, but he wasn't one to fabricate, so I backed off.

'Hmm, then shall I fetch Jin So-cheong and Geuk ho...'

Pabat!

I shifted to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall, secretly sending Jin So-cheong a Six Harmonies Divine Star to lure him. Soon, he emerged to the back mountain. I said,

"Jin So-cheong! I've come to repay my debt to you."

He looked puzzled.

"You and I are strangers—what's this? You seem a rejuvenated elder; reveal yourself."

"I'm Baek Woong. You once greatly aided me in the past."

I cupped my fists.

"So I propose: spar me. If I win, take this black obsidian? It holds a spell-transmitting memory gem."

"...No idea what you're offering, but you won't let me walk. Let's do it."

Soon, Jin So-cheong and I began sparring. In the first few exchanges, I realized one thing.

'Jin So-cheong is still immature now. But... he's unconsciously honing the Thunder God Style's essence!'

One or two spars wouldn't reveal it, but after mastering Thunder God Style to grandmastery under Master Yi Cheong-un and grasping the Subtle Arts' Secrets, I saw it. Jin So-cheong flailed blindly, unaware of the next realm, yet unconsciously awakening the Subtle Arts' Secrets I'd deliberately trained for. The moment he consciously refined it, explosive growth made sense.

Eerie.

The martial gap between early Jin So-cheong and me widened further—yet it deepened my awe of his talent, humbling me. As if martial horizons expanded within my soul.

Tadang!

After about a hundred exchanges? Jin So-cheong parried mid-form, dropped his spear, and sighed.

"Huu... You're toying with me too much, senior."

"Toying?"

"You could've inflicted a fatal wound in ten exchanges, yet you're guiding me now? I sense you're using less than twenty percent power."

He noticed?

I gave a wry smile and said,

"I told you: I owe you, and I'm not here to harm you."

"You've spouted nonsense since arriving..."

Jin So-cheong extended his hand confidently.

"Give me that black obsidian. I want to understand you."

"Fine."

I handed Jin So-cheong the black obsidian and transmitted the memories.

Moments later, he shuddered, absorbing them. Only after a while did his shocked expression fade.

"...Impossible..."

I gazed steadily at him and said,

"That's my twenty-fourth reincarnation. In your last life, you showed me the Divine Realm Absolute Art before dying."

"..."

"I couldn't grasp what it was. But without you, I'd have died a dog's death to the Nine Yin Cult Leader before uncovering the Heavenly Realm's hidden puppeteer. You shortened my path immensely."

Jin So-cheong staggered, dazed, then said,

"So, Baek Woong, you'll suicidally head to Dark Heaven Village and die in this life too?"

"That's the plan."

"Then no need to visit me?"

I smiled bitterly.

"Needed or not, I wanted to thank someone I owe—no room for such calculations."

"...You're a righteous man."

Jin So-cheong thought, then said,

"Baek Woong, a request."

"What?"

His words shocked me.

"Take me to the White Lotus Cult Leader. I wish to be his disciple."

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