Chapter 86: It's Been a While, Brother

TL: FoodieMonster007

Two months passed since my duel with my father.

In that time, I reached the Eleventh Star of the Soaring Sky Sword Art. I ascended to the next level using the insight I gained from dueling my father and the Flower Sword Supreme.

Only one level remained.

The final level, just like the ones before, would require some kind of trigger.

The trigger could be a duel, a life-or-death battle, or something simple. It could happen while looking at flowers with the Flower Sword Supreme, reading poetry with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, or walking under the moonlight with Lee Ahn. No one could predict how I would achieve the Twelfth Star's complete mastery.

For now, I set aside completing the Soaring Sky Sword Art and focused on training the Spacetime Manipulation Technique.

Sometimes, when learning a martial art, you just get a feeling. A tingle runs through your body as the art whispers, 'Just a little more.' That is the moment you are ready to reach the next level.

The Spacetime Manipulation Technique gave me that feeling continuously.

About ten days ago, I reduced the time to unfold the space to a slow count of one hundred. After that, the time decreased every time I used the technique, as if a restriction had lifted.

If compatibility between a martial artist and a martial art exists, then the Spacetime Manipulation Technique and I were a perfect match.

Perhaps it was because the art depended more on enlightenment and talent than on training time. In those two aspects, I had reached the highest possible level.

The more I trained, the faster I became. One hundred became ninety-nine, then ninety-eight, then ninety-seven…

I pushed myself to the very end. I created the space relentlessly, like I was riding a speeding carriage. I felt that one wrong turn could send the carriage plummeting off a cliff, but I honed my skill without rest.

I trained and trained again.

Finally, the carriage reached its destination. The horses had not collapsed, and I had not fallen.

SNAP!

I snapped my fingers, and my surroundings instantly changed.

I cheered.

"I did it!"

I could finally use the Spacetime Manipulation Technique instantly. It unfolded so naturally, as if it had always been my own martial art.

I stood on a white sandy beach beside an endless blue ocean. The sky was blue and the sun was hot. A large-leafed tree stood on the beach, and a comfortable-looking chair sat in its shade. Seagulls flew in the distance.

This was the personal space I had dreamed of.

It was perfect.

Just as the creation time decreased, the inner arts needed to maintain the space also decreased.

I leaned back in the chair for a moment, then stripped off my clothes and jumped into the sea.

After swimming for a while, I floated on my back and watched the clouds drift across the sky. My heart felt at ease.

It was a perfect, private moment. I was happy.

Then, a thought occurred to me.

What if I could make time in here pass more slowly than time outside? What if I could train my martial arts in here? Even if I couldn't stop time completely, what if I could make it pass at even half the speed?

It was a dream-like thought, but creating this space was already a dream-like feat.

I decided to discuss it with the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader when he returned. He would probably call it nonsense.

I lay on the beach enjoying my freedom when I sensed someone outside the Spacetime Manipulation Technique.

When I entered spaces created by the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme or the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, I couldn't sense anything outside, but now that I had created the space myself, I could perceive external events.

I immediately released the technique and appeared.

Jang Ho called for me at the door. "Young Lord, are you there?"

"I'm here."

I appeared suddenly behind Jang Ho, who spun around in surprise.

"Young Lord? Where were you?"

On a beach with a surging blue sea.

I desperately wanted to say that, but I held my tongue.

"I was just training my concealment technique. What brings you here?"

"Word came from the smithy. They finished the items you requested from the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron."

"Then, I have a request. Go get the items and summon everyone who was there that day."

"Understood."

Seven of us stood in a circle, looking at the items on the table. It was me, Lee Ahn, Seo Daeryong, Jang Ho, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the Flower Sword Supreme, and Go Wol.

I picked up the fan from the table and gave it to Go Wol.

"This is the fan you requested. I've examined it, and it's well-made."

"Thank you very much."

"The material is one thing, but our Cult's best artisan made it, which adds to its value."

"I never thought you'd actually have it made for me."

I had also made throwing knives for everyone gathered that day, so I gave one to Go Wol as well. He looked apologetic after receiving both the fan and the knife.

"I'm receiving two items."

"These throwing knives wouldn't exist without you. In a way, you're the one giving everyone a gift."

"How could that be? You're the one who gave the shackles to the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, Young Lord. Thank you. I'll never forget this great gift."

It was a great gift indeed. A throwing knife made of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron was incomparably sharp and would never break, making it priceless. If sold for its proper value, the money would be enough for several generations to live comfortably.

But my gifts for Go Wol did not end there.

I unwound the Top-Quality Heavenly Silk from the Black Demon Sword's hilt. I cut off enough to cover the fan and handed it to Go Wol.

"It's Top-Quality Heavenly Silk. If you attach this to the fan, it'll become a magnificent weapon."

Go Wol's eyes trembled with emotion. The three gifts were truly once-in-a-lifetime presents.

"I'll surely repay this favor, even if it costs me my life."

"There's no need for that. I'm giving you this because I believe you're worthy of it now, not as collateral for your future life or loyalty."

I spoke to Go Wol, but my words were meant for everyone.

I distributed the remaining throwing knives. "Thank you for standing by my side."

Everyone was delighted.

"Thank you."

"I'll put it to good use."

"Thank you."

Seo Daeryong looked down at his knife and said worriedly, "I'm worried I might lose it."

"Train harder. The stronger you become, the less chance you'll have of losing it. When training gets tough, look at that knife."

"……"

Seo Daeryong nodded vigorously at my words. The throwing knife would come to hold a different meaning for each of them.

Just then, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon needlessly picked a fight with Go Wol. "That scrawny scholar is here, so what are you worried about?"

Someone entered just then and said, "Speaking of scrawny, isn't your disciple even more so?"

The person who entered was the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

I looked at him, surprised. "You're back already?"

He returned earlier than I expected. I thought he would be gone for at least six months.

"It's because I'm an impatient person by nature," he said, glancing at Go Wol.

Go Wol smiled at the appearance of his staunch supporter.

"I guess I'm a lucky man, returning on the day the throwing knives are handed out. Give me my knife."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader examined the knife. "It's truly well-made. This could be treated as a sacred object. Thanks for saving one for me."

"Not at all. We only made them because you generously allowed us to use the shackles, Cult Leader."

I welcomed his return with kind words. He had returned on a fateful day, just as he said, but that fate was not about receiving a throwing knife.

Someone opened the door and stepped inside.

The visitor was tall and handsome. His white robe, embroidered with brilliant yet refined patterns, suited him well. It was my older brother, First Young Lord Geom Muyang.

Everyone's gaze focused on Geom Muyang. Three people followed him.

The Demonic Buddha entered first, followed by an old man and a young man.

Geom Muyang spotted me in the crowd, spread his arms wide, and strode over.

"Little brother, have you been well?"

That's right. This is my brother. He was so full of confidence, a man who knew he was superior to others.

His tendency to think himself too clever sometimes caused problems, but he could also make his arrogance seem like confidence to his allies.

"Of course, I've been well. It's been a while, brother."

I pulled my brother into a sudden hug. It was not an act. I hugged him sincerely and felt him tense up, surprised by my reaction. He would never know what I was thinking.

Brother, don't make me hug your corpse with regret. Don't make me walk our father's path.

I knew Go Wol was wrong when he said the outcome depended on my brother. This time, it depended on my efforts.

So I will try. Not for my brother's sake, but for my own.

A strange light flickered in Geom Muyang's eyes, perhaps because my aura was so different from when he had left the cult.

"I heard you made quite a name for yourself while I was away?"

"A fox played king in a valley without a tiger."

"If the older brother is a tiger, how can the younger brother be a fox? You don't have to be so humble, at least not in front of me."

At a glance, he looked like a deeply affectionate older brother who cherished his younger sibling.

But in my past life, my brother had relentlessly tormented me. At the time, I did not even realize it was torment.

From a young age, my brother tried his best to instill negative images of the murim and power in my mind.

He told me stories of martial artists fighting and killing each other, of those who went mad from their inner demons, and of the Demon Supremes betraying the Heavenly Demon.

Most of his stories were cruel and negative. When I tried to open my Conception and Governing Vessels, he would shake my resolve with tales of people whose blood vessels burst and killed them.

I overcame it with my innate fortitude, but his stories still had a negative influence on me, whether I knew it or not.

I cannot blame him for using any means necessary in the succession battle, but that was not something you should do to your six or seven-year-old brother.

The Demonic Buddha interjected. "Second Young Lord, now that the First Young Lord has returned, you must help your brother a great deal. In this harsh murim, who else can you look after each other? Humans betray each other as easily as they breathe, so there's no one to trust."

As he spoke, the Demonic Buddha looked at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. His words were aimed at him from the start, a blatant criticism for having once supported Geom Muyang but now supporting me.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon felt apologetic toward the First Young Lord and could only scoff.

Unlike the provocative Demonic Buddha, Geom Muyang was polite to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

"Have you been well, Elder?"

"I've been well, thanks to you. Are you just now returning?"

"Yes. I've just arrived."

"Have you seen the Cult Leader?"

"Father has already retired to his chambers, so I haven't been able to see him. I'll have to greet him in the morning."

"The Cult Leader will be pleased."

After their greetings, Geom Muyang remarked casually, "I've heard you've been helping my younger brother a great deal lately, Elder."

"Old men are known to be more fickle. I hope you understand."

"Not at all. My brother's business is my business, and the business of our Cult. As his older brother, I thank you."

"I'm grateful for your understanding."

Geom Muyang then turned to the Flower Sword Supreme. "You are as beautiful as ever."

"Just like his brother, our First Young Lord is quite the flirt."

Geom Muyang took something from his sleeve and gave it to the Flower Sword Supreme.

"These are cosmetics I had a hard time getting in the Outer Regions. They're known to be far superior to those used by the women of the Central Plains, so please, try them."

"Thank you, First Young Lord."

Would he have only brought a gift for the Flower Sword Supreme? He must have brought a trove of things to please the other Demon Supremes as well.

Even from these brief greetings, I saw why my brother had been ahead of me back then. I had not even known he was so meticulously taking care of the Demon Supremes. I suppose I only saw myself and lived only for my own greed.

"General Jang, it's belated, but congratulations on becoming a Lord."

"Thank you, First Young Lord."

The greetings ended there. Geom Muyang did not greet Lee Ahn or Seo Daeryong. My brother was a thorough authoritarian. His philosophy was that if you secured the higher-ups as your people, the subordinates would naturally follow.

Once Geom Muyang finished greeting the two Demon Supremes, the Demonic Buddha stepped forward.

He saw the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and immediately started a quarrel. "Did someone spread honey on our Cult's pillars? Why do you keep loitering around?"

Of course, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was no pushover. "Because someone took a dump and didn't clean it up. A small, cute, golden dump, that is."

The Demonic Buddha's expression hardened instantly. The two men glared at each other, ready to kill. It showed how an eternity of friendship could shatter in a moment. The two closest friends were now completely divided.

As the two created a tense atmosphere, Geom Muyang signaled the two people behind him with his eyes.

The old man and the young man who entered with the Demonic Buddha stepped forward to offer their greetings.

A cold smile formed on my lips. This was the moment I had been waiting for since they entered. In fact, I had waited for this moment for decades.