Chapter 111: Comrade (3)

The people of Nation of Mechanical Marvels were born craftsmen. The Dharma Treasures and Spell Devices they created were so exceptional that even the cultivators of the Cultivation Realm acknowledged their excellence, not just those of the martial world.

They, who lived for hundreds of years with ease, encountered and used countless materials to craft various weapons, armor, and tools called Spell Devices or Dharma Treasures.

But what Jin Ha-un had laid out now were items prepared as a favor by theBeast King Sect, a top-tier force even within the Central Heavens Martial Realm. Even Cho-su and Cho-yul had never seen this many high-grade materials all at once.

“There's Frost Origin Iron and Black Darkness Iron, plus Void Crystal, Heat Fire Stone, and even Ice Dew Stone.”

“This is Sanhwi’s heart, and the powder is from Toru’s horn? That’s Ijeuk’s inner core, and what’s this?”

“They said it was some kind of tongue... What was it again...?”

“Tongue? Ah, the tongue of Biyu. This doesn’t seem particularly useful though. This one here... Ugh, what is this? It looks dangerous.”

“That appears to be the venom of Jimjo.”

“Venom? Why bring something like that? Planning to assassinate someone?”

“I was just given it as a gift.”

“By whom?”

“Senior Maeng Ye-ju of theBeast King Sect. I helped with some matters, and this was the compensation.”

“You helped them? Are you getting married or something? No, even that wouldn’t warrant this. Did you save the Sect Leader ofBeast King Sect or what? Unless it’s something of that scale, this doesn’t make sense.”

At the word “marriage,” Jin Ha-un gave a small chuckle from the side, but lowered the corners of his mouth after catching Jang Woo-hyun’s gaze.

“There was an item I acquired while assistingBeast King Sect, and I gave that up. That’s likely why they gave me so much.”

Once he briefly explained about the Gourd that sucked people in, the two roughly gauged the value of the item.

“That looks like a high-grade Dharma Treasure. Still, this is a bit excessive. With this quantity and quality. And you want to give all this to us?”

“Yes. You modified the Yongwangrin for me without asking anything in return.”

“Hahaha...”

He couldn’t tell if the young man was foolish or just utterly free of greed. The items laid out now were not things one could get easily.

Compared to what Cho-yul had used when modifying the Yongwangrin last time, this batch was dozens of times greater in both quantity and quality.

“This is too much. Far too much. As a craftsman, I do feel tempted when seeing good materials, but I’m not so shameless. Let’s pretend I never saw this.”

“Uh... then could you take only what you need and give Ha-un a good sword in return? If you make one, that’d be even better. Oh, and whatever’s left, we can feed it back to this guy.”

Jang Woo-hyun placed the Yongwangrin on the table.

“Wouldn’t that be good enough?”

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t a bad proposal for Cho-yul and Cho-su either. There were many enticing materials, and they also wished to see the Yongwangrin’s growth.

“Sounds good. You’re going to keep us busy again. Then stay at our place for a while.”

“Sure, let’s do that. And, I met the previous owner of the Yongwangrin. When I asked why he didn’t take it back, he said the Yongwangrin rejected him.”

—I wasn’t the chosen one. Don’t you think there must be a reason it followed you? Or maybe it just liked you more than me.

—At some point, it began to reject me, as if it knew when I was going to ascend.

—A Dharma Treasure that grows? I thought it wasn’t an ordinary item, but it’s even more incredible than I imagined.

Jang Woo-hyun briefly conveyed what Tang Myung had told him. Just as Cho-yul had said before, it was true that the Yongwangrin had chosen him.

“Weapons called Divine Weapons often behave like that. That’s why they say each has its destined master.”

“That’s the point of this story...”

Trailing off, Jang Woo-hyun placed the black sword in front of Cho-yul and Cho-su.

“What’s this?”

“This sword, it also said it has a connection with me.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“What does that mean?”

“The monkey—Windstorm Great Saint—said that.”

—Divine Weapons can’t be used by those they’re not connected with. Sometimes they choose their masters. That’s why they say such weapons have destined owners. That sword... I don’t know its story, but it’s not ordinary. It definitely followed you. Keep it, and you’ll find out in time.

After fighting alongside Jang Woo-hyun, Windstorm Great Saint had said that the black sword was no ordinary weapon. Even in the eyes of a Great Monster from the Demonic Spirit Realm who had seen countless bizarre things, the black sword stood out.

“I don’t get it. You didn’t obtain the sword yourself. We gave it to you. Windstorm Great Saint handed it over to reduce the curse’s effect.”

“I don’t know either. But the monkey clearly said so. That it had a connection with me, that it chose me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even been able to touch it.”

“That doesn’t make sense...”

“No. If it’s Windstorm Great Saint, maybe he saw something we couldn’t. The Curse of the Sword has mostly vanished, so let’s examine it again.”

“Yes, I’ll leave it here.”

“Then your sword issue is settled. Let’s move on. You’re Jin Ha-un, right?”

“Yup.”

“Come over here. I need to take a look at you if I’m going to craft your sword.”

Cho-yul brought Jin Ha-un over, asked several questions, and had him try wielding a few of the swords nearby.

“What type of technique are you specialized in? Swift Sword? Heavy Sword? Or Phantom Sword?”

“I use a bit of everything, actually.”

“Really? That’s unusual. So do you only use one sword?”

“Up until now, I’ve only used one sword, but it doesn’t really matter. I learned by watching hyung-nim.”

Cho-yul’s gaze turned toward Jang Woo-hyun, then to the two swords at his side.

The Yongwangrin that transformed into hundreds of hidden weapons, and the black sword imbued with a curse.

They were not weapons for a martial artist who practiced ordinary sword techniques.

“I understand. I’ll be calling you in from time to time to ask more questions, so I’ll need your cooperation.”

“Yes! Please call me anytime. I look forward to your guidance!”

“Haha, such an energetic young man. Then, both of you may leave now. I’ll summon you again later.”

“Yes. Cho-yul-nim, may I borrow a few swords?”

“Swords? What for?”

“I’d like to train a bit.”

“Cho-su, fetch a few sturdy ones.”

“They don’t have to be sturdy. They might break. And if you have some daggers, please include a few of those as well.”

At the mention of breaking, Cho-yul and Cho-su laughed.

They were confident that the weapons they had crafted would not break so easily.

“Take them. They won’t break so easily.”

A few days later.

“Stop breaking the swords, you lunatic!”

Contrary to their confidence, Jang Woo-hyun broke every sword he took.

“Uugh...”

Jin Ha-un groaned strangely as he struggled to rise.

His gaze turned toward Jang Woo-hyun, who stood across from him.

‘He’s not in the Boundless Realm.’

He was clearly in the same realm of Transcendence as Jin Ha-un, yet something felt off.

Jin Ha-un had participated in many duels even back when he was in the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect. Even Qi Hu-shin, who became close after ascending, had reached the peak of Transcendence and was facing the wall of the Boundless Realm, but he felt entirely different from him.

‘Does this even make sense?’

Jin Ha-un had thought he’d grown considerably stronger, but he was no match for Jang Woo-hyun.

Due to a time discrepancy, Jang Woo-hyun had spent less time in the Central Heavens than Jin Ha-un. Though it was only a few years, Jin Ha-un had believed that gave him the edge. But he was no match.

‘But what does that matter? He’s hyung-nim. I was being narrow-minded.’

After meeting again after a long time, he had briefly forgotten what kind of person Jang Woo-hyun was.

‘Forget “Divine Sword,” even the title “Sword Emperor” is wasted on him.’

In the Central Plains, the last opponent Jin Ha-un had faced, the Red Grape Lord, had told him he could now use the name “Divine Sword.” He believed the Sword Emperor of the Blue Star Sect had surpassed the Invincible Divine Sword.

But thinking back now, that was a mistaken thought. There was only one person Jin Ha-un believed deserved the title of Divine Sword.

‘Forget the Sword Emperor of Blue Star. Let’s go with the Sword Peon of Blue Star. That suits him better.’

A genius monstrous enough to be called a freak. Compared to Jang Woo-hyun, Jin Ha-un’s talent was pitiful.

But that didn’t mean he despaired.

“Hehehe.”

Jang Woo-hyun was Jang Woo-hyun, and Jin Ha-un was Jin Ha-un.

As long as he grew stronger at his own pace and in his own way, that was enough.

Besides, if Jang Woo-hyun walked the path ahead, that alone was a blessing. Because Jin Ha-un, his sworn brother, was someone who could follow behind.

With Jang Woo-hyun around, he wouldn’t have to feel the loneliness of growing alone, and he could learn so much.

“I’m going to get scolded again.”

Jin Ha-un collected his thoughts and picked up a broken sword that had fallen to the ground.

The swords made by Cho-su and Cho-yul were certainly sturdy, but they weren’t enough to withstand Jang Woo-hyun’s strength.

With his overwhelming internal energy and relentless assault, Jang Woo-hyun’s style shattered both the attacker’s and defender’s swords.

In the span of a month staying there, the duels between Jin Ha-un and Jang Woo-hyun had already broken dozens of swords, and three small floating islands near Cho-su’s house had already disappeared.

“Huuup.”

Picking up the broken sword, Jin Ha-un circulated his qi. Only then did his body feel somewhat better, and he moved toward Jang Woo-hyun.

‘Did he just have an epiphany?’

Contrary to Jin Ha-un’s assumption, Jang Woo-hyun wasn’t having an epiphany.

Earlier, during an attack, Jang Woo-hyun had used five swords to simultaneously unleash different sword techniques like Tang Myung had.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in his mind.

‘Myriad Heavenly Sword Technique.’

A sword art that used a thousand blades.

Transcendental Sword.

A sword art that created sword flux in the form of over thirty long, thin threads.

A sound-based blade art that used tuning fork-shaped blades.

The Yongmyeong Spear, a giant flute transformed into a spear shaft.

The Five-Drum Thunder Sound Art, known as Ogonoejeoneummyeongsul, used five drums to manipulate sound arts and lightning.

The secret manuals gathered by the Silver Flower Trading Company Head were not absurd at all.

The Myriad Heavenly Sword Technique, said to use a thousand swords, resembled Tang Myung's martial art, Thousand Sword Stream, and the Transcendental Sword had already been experienced during the battle against the Demonic Cult. Moreover, the Transcendental Sword was connected to the expansion of thought at the Boundless Realm level.

The sound-based weapon Gwaeeumdo, Yongmyeong Spear, and Five-Drum Thunder Sound Art were also plausible. In the Central Heavens, there were Dharma Treasures. In a world where ships flew through the sky and people could enter the Space Inside the Gourd, it wouldn’t be strange if such weapons existed somewhere.

‘Techniques using Spell Devices or perhaps Dharma Treasures.’

No one knew how they had been passed down, but unexpectedly, remnants of knowledge about Ascension or the Central Heavens Realm remained throughout the Central Plains.

‘Even in the Central Heavens, these aren’t common martial arts.’

He had met the leadership of the Ten Sects and Three Clans and fought with several martial artists, but very few used such unique martial arts. If he had to pick, Tang Myung’s and Cheol Geuk-jin’s martial arts stood out as unique.

“Hyung-nim, what are you thinking so deeply about?”

Jin Ha-un, who had walked over slowly, didn’t think Jang Woo-hyun had achieved an epiphany, so he cautiously spoke up.

“Oh? Ha-un, remember those secret manuals I saw at the Silver Flower Trading Company back then...”

Jang Woo-hyun shared what he had been thinking with Jin Ha-un.

“Oh? Really? That’s fascinating. I’ve never heard of those techniques before.”

“They must exist somewhere, right?”

“Of course. The Central Heavens is vast. It’s entirely possible. There are even people who hang Dharma Treasures all over themselves.”

“Dharma Treasures? Do those really mean much? If your own skill is lacking.”

“They use Dharma Treasures to make up for their lack of skill. They might be stronger than you think. If they use weapons that move on their own, or deploy defensive Dharma Treasures from a distance, it becomes troublesome to deal with them.”

“Really? I feel like you could just close the gap quickly and take them out.”

“No, that’s not it. Just listen closely.”

Jang Woo-hyun no longer had to think and worry on his own as he had before. Now he had a reliable companion by his side.

While the two cheerfully chatted on their way home, a voice was raised by someone who faced them.

“Stop breaking the weapons, you bastards!”

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