Chapter 775: Since I've Learned a Good Martial Art

TL: FoodieMonster007

Geom Woojin couldn't remember the last time he had such a pleasant and comfortable rest. He had taken countless breaks before, of course, but this moment felt more precious and pleasant than any other.

The reason was probably his son.

He turned his head slightly to look at Geom Mugeuk beside him. His son still diligently snapped his fingers under the chair, trying to lift his spirits.

The brat's attempts did not end with seagulls and crawling crabs.

SWOOOOOSH!

A pure white stream of water shot into the sky from the sea.

PHWOOOOSH!

A large whale breached the water's surface.

Geom Woojin's eyes widened in surprise. He never expected a real whale to appear. He asked, "Have you ever seen a whale before?"

"I've only seen pictures of them in books."

"And yet you created such a realistic-looking one."

Seeing a real whale was difficult for a martial artist living in the Central Plains. Geom Woojin had seen them a few times in his youth while wandering with the Fist Demon, but after becoming the Cult Leader, today was his first time seeing one in person.

Geom Mugeuk had also seen whales several times before his regression, but most were just fleeting glimpses. He only once saw a truly impressive one, and he now recreated that intense memory exactly as it was.

WOOOOO…

The whale made a low, deep sound.

Geom Woojin looked at his son again. Though he had never heard one himself, it truly sounded like a whale. It sounded as if the sea yearned for the sky.

"There's a knack to it." Geom Mugeuk explained to his father how to freely unfold imagined images within the Spacetime Manipulation Technique. He detailed how to deploy the incantations and how to set one's mind and heart.

He wanted his father to become more interested in the Spacetime Manipulation Technique. That way, his father might use it in an emergency.

Geom Woojin listened to his son while watching the whale swim through the sea.

"The whale looks lonely," he suddenly said.

PHWOOSH!

Another stream of water erupted, and a second whale rose to the surface. The two whales swam together as small dolphins leaped around them.

Geom Woojin smiled unconsciously as he watched. It was the first time in his life he had ever seen such a sight.

He was not the only one feeling happy.

Geom Mugeuk was once happiest alone in this space, but now he felt even more joyful with his father. To feel such emotions here of all places… his father was not the only one changing.

The whales swam away, and the water's surface grew calm again.

Geom Woojin stared at the sea in silence. In the past, he would have already said, 'Let's leave now,' but those words did not come.

I'll stay just a little longer, he thought.

As Geom Woojin sat there, he dozed off and dreamed. It was a dream of his youth, from before he had even become the Young Cult Leader. As if in a lucid dream, he saw himself objectively.

Was there a time I smiled so brightly? Did I get angry so fiercely? Was I that good at expressing my emotions?

He did not know how long he had slept.

When he opened his eyes, Geom Mugeuk was sleeping beside him.

He was inwardly surprised. It did not matter that they were inside the Spacetime Manipulation Technique or that he was with his son. He had never in his life fallen asleep without realizing it.

The warm sunlight and cool breeze were still present.

He's maintaining the Spacetime Manipulation Technique even while sleeping like this.

Geom Woojin could tell his son's mastery of the Spacetime Manipulation Technique was truly high.

This illusionary art must have been created to kill people. It was an art of the Blood Cult, after all. It was surely made to lure in, startle, and confuse opponents for an easy kill. However, his son used that fearsome martial art as a space for rest, even creating whales purely for entertainment.

"When did you wake up?" Geom Mugeuk yawned and woke up.

Geom Woojin feigned disapproval. It wasn't really his place to scold his son, since he too had slept, but he still said sternly, "Is it alright for a martial artist to be so careless?"

"If an enemy comes, I know you'll block them for me, Father."

Geom Woojin snorted. His son must have seen him fall asleep first, yet pretended he had been the one to doze off. "Let's get up now."

"Yes, Father."

Before leaving the Spacetime Manipulation Technique, Geom Mugeuk said one last thing. "Father, I enjoyed today."

Normally, Geom Woojin would have just given a single nod or not reacted at all.

Today, however, his father nodded and shared his own feelings.

"I enjoyed it too."

Geom Mugeuk was moved. He knew his father would never say such a thing if he did not truly mean it.

Seeing how genuinely happy his son was, Geom Woojin suddenly recalled the younger self from his dream. The version of himself who once said such things freely.

His son had taught him something he had forgotten. Perhaps what he had learned from his son all this time was this very method of revealing and expressing emotions.

"I'll cancel the technique," Geom Mugeuk said.

He was about to snap his fingers when his father stopped him.

"Wait."

Their time here was not over. The words 'Let's get up now' did not mean it was time to leave, but to simply stand up.

"Since I've learned a good martial art, shouldn't I teach you something too?" Geom Woojin said.

Geom Mugeuk waited for the next words, a sense of disbelief dawning on him. Suddenly, he remembered that his father never simply received something for nothing.

Geom Woojin continued, "I'll pass down the Eighth Technique of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art to you."

Geom Mugeuk's eyes trembled. Nothing could shake his heart as much as the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

"But isn't it too soon?" he asked.

The Seventh to the Ninth Techniques of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art were martial arts used by the Heavenly Demon Soul. His father had passed down the Seventh Technique, the Demonic Soul Realm Creation, before he left the cult, but now he intended to pass down the next one already?

Geom Woojin rolled his eyes. "Isn't your destiny flowing that way?"

Finally, Geom Mugeuk understood. His father was passing the technique down sooner because he had achieved Body Reformation.

Indeed, his guess was correct.

"Since you've achieved Body Reformation, you'll understand the incantations more easily." Geom Woojin looked at his son and said calmly, "From now on, I'll teach you the Eighth Technique of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art."

Geom Mugeuk bowed respectfully, then knelt to listen attentively.

"Stand up." Geom Woojin had his son stand, then gave an unexpected instruction. "Create a walking path. A path with many changes."

Geom Mugeuk thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

SNAP!

A small trail appeared before them. The trail led to a stream, across a small field, and into a bamboo forest. Beyond the bamboo forest, a waterfall cascaded down.

"Let's walk together."

To his surprise, his father recited the incantation as they walked.

The Nine Calamities Demonic Art Eighth Technique was Berserk Demon Soul, the second demonic art used by the Heavenly Demon Soul.

"The Demon Soul gallops through a new world, so all bow and revere it. The beginning of the qi starts at the Tianshu Acupoint. The first departure of qi must be light and powerful. After passing through the Zhongwan Acupoint, it must be heavy and solemn, and upon reaching the Dazhui Acupoint…"

Memorizing such difficult incantations while walking was not easy. Moreover, the incantations for the Eighth Technique were more complex than the Seventh Technique's.

The Seventh Technique had been more complex than any incantation Geom Mugeuk had learned before, and the Eighth Technique was even harder, mainly because its system defied the common sense of existing martial arts. If taught while sitting still, he would have to memorize it all at once.

But now was different. His father was using a new method of transmission.

"When the qi reaches the Baihui Acupoint, a blue energy will swirl before your eyes…" While teaching this part, his father plucked a green leaf and threw it at Geom Mugeuk like a hidden weapon. "Reverse the qi again, but maintain a gentle energy."

When it was time to reverse the qi, his father turned and caressed a flower petal blooming on the path behind them. When teaching the part about skipping over meridians, he recited the incantation while crossing a stepping-stone bridge.

"…When the qi passes the Mingmen Acupoint, you must draw in that energy as if it were a whirlwind."

Geom Woojin spun his hand. A palm technique whirled from his hand, launching toward Geom Mugeuk's Mingmen Acupoint.

SHWAAAAAK!

Geom Mugeuk dodged, memorizing the incantation perfectly. In fact, the action helped him memorize it even better.

"…You must move as coldly as the autumn frost."

While reciting this incantation, Geom Woojin dipped his hand into the stream. For the part about continuing the qi gently but strongly, he bent a large bamboo stalk and then released it. When it was time to extend a strong and solid energy, he sat on a boulder. He used anything in the environment that connected to the incantation.

Geom Mugeuk smiled. As the difficult incantations matched his father's actions and the surroundings, the lesson was easy… no, it was more than easy. He felt like he would never forget it. This special lesson was imprinted with his father's heart for his son.

The precious lesson ended when their long walk concluded back where they had started.

"I think I've memorized all the incantations," he said.

Geom Woojin asked various questions to confirm. After carefully checking that his son had memorized the difficult parts well, he wore a satisfied expression.

Geom Mugeuk heart leaped with glee. His father's expression said it all. He had learned everything perfectly.

"Father, how did you know this secret method of teaching incantations while walking?" he asked. "I memorized it so much better."

"I've done it this way since I was young, whenever I had to memorize something difficult. I used other objects in my surroundings to memorize them."

"Thanks to that method, I memorized it all."

"Even with that method, it should be impossible to memorize all those difficult incantations so quickly. I expected we would have to take this walk three times."

Of course, memorizing the incantations and manifesting them in one's body were two different things.

Since he had to move his qi in such a new way, Geom Mugeuk asked his father about the parts he did not understand. As always, his father answered his questions with sincerity.

Recently, whenever he and his father discussed martial arts, one of them would achieve a deep breakthrough. The content of their discussions was therefore more profound. Even if they talked about the same topic as last time, there would be new enlightenment.

After the question-and-answer session ended, Geom Mugeuk understood the incantations without any blockage. His memory had certainly improved, and his comprehension had heightened.

The effects of Body Reformation were clear. It normally would have taken several times longer, but he learned it even faster than he had learned the Seventh Technique.

He did not ask how long it took his father to learn the Eighth Technique. He did not want to needlessly wound his highly competitive father's pride.

That turned out to be a needless worry. Not only did he not wound his father's pride, he was a source of it.

"Of all the Demonic Cult Leaders in history, you're likely the fastest to learn the Eighth Technique," Geom Woojin remarked. "Both in reaching this point and the time it took to learn it."

Geom Mugeuk looked at his father. The emotion on Geom Woojin's face was clearly closer to pride than surprise.

He was truly happy. Completing the Nine Calamities Demonic Art meant he was also becoming complete, both as a martial artist and as the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

He gave the credit to his father. "Of all the Demonic Cult Leaders in history, you, Father, made the lesson for the Eighth Technique the easiest to learn and understand."

Geom Woojin reminded him, "As I've said before, the power of the Heavenly Demon Soul is determined by how well you understand the incantations. Therefore, you must never be negligent in understanding and training them whenever you have time."

Geom Mugeuk nodded. This meant for the last three techniques, he did not need to summon the Heavenly Demon Soul to train separately. Everything depended on how deeply he himself understood them.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Alright, let's go out now."

Geom Mugeuk snapped his fingers first.

SNAP!

The beach disappeared, and the world his father had created with the Spacetime Manipulation Technique appeared. Previously, he had created his own space inside of it, so that was where they returned to.

SNAP!

This time, Geom Woojin snapped his fingers, and they finally returned to reality, in his personal training ground.

The two of them left the training ground and walked through the inner palace.

Geom Mugeuk began, "Father, I have two goals regarding the Heavenly Demon Soul."

"What are they?" Geom Woojin asked.

"I've mentioned it before. The first is to converse with the Heavenly Demon Soul."

Geom Woojin nodded. He had once said told his son that among the past Heavenly Demon Souls, there was one that could speak.

"My second goal is to make the Heavenly Demon Soul smaller," Geom Mugeuk added. "About the size of a person."

"And when you do?"

"We'll go around together like friends."

Geom Woojin had never considered such a thing. He shook his head, bewildered. "Yes. Perhaps if it's you."

In the past, he would have called it crazy talk. Now, he suspected he might actually see that absurd sight.

"But where are you going now?"

"I have to go take care of my piled-up work."

"Just slack off for the day. Our Cult will run just fine even if you do."

Geom Woojin replied as he walked ahead, "And why do you think it runs so well?"

Geom Mugeuk stood in place, watching his father's back. His father walked toward the Heavenly Demon Hall, leaving unsaid that everything worked smoothly was because of his own constant efforts.

Suddenly, he shouted, "Father, your already-smart son has learned such a precious lesson, so I'll be even more successful from now on. Thank you so much!"

Geom Woojin paused for a moment and answered without turning back. "Let's just call it repayment for letting me see the whales."

Geom Mugeuk smiled. Yes. Among today's many unforgettable moments, watching the whales with Father is one I will never forget.

"Just say the word anytime. I'll have those guys on standby," he replied.

Geom Woojin continued walking towards the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Geom Mugeuk could not see his face, but he was sure his father was smiling.

He gazed up at the sky. He had finally learned up to the Nine Calamities Demonic Art Eighth Technique.

Now, only the final Ninth Technique remained.