Chapter 177

After a short spar with Uncle Mukgang.


I fell to the ground with a few bumps on my head, sniffling.


“Teeeng… Ororong… Ororong… I got beaten up so badly… Bumps on the head of the great me… It’s a national treasure of the martial world…”


“Stop exaggerating and get up.”


I rubbed the bumps and stood up at Uncle Mukgang’s words.


“Isn’t it too much for a cute disciple you haven’t seen in a long time? You’re being ruthless.”


“If you felt it was ruthless, it means your skills have improved.”


Mukgang spoke in a calm voice with a faint smile, giving an honest impression.


“I couldn’t go easy on you like when you were a kid. You’ve been training hard.”


At the straightforward compliment, I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.


Yeah, honestly, I was happy to be praised by my master after such a long time.


“…Well, I am Sima Mantian. The genius who even deceives the heavens.”


“Hmph, indeed. The guy who made his parents cry by committing incest with his sister and got himself exiled. Living up to your name.”


I squinted at Mukgang’s teasing and argued.


“Hey, Uncle Mukgang! Weren’t you supposed to support my relationship with Yeonghwa!?”


“I didn’t oppose it, but I didn’t say I’d support it either. And don’t call me uncle. But—”


Mukgang chuckled lightly with a relaxed voice.


“If you’re going against the natural order, you’ll need great strength. If it’s training, I’ll help.”


“Uncle Mukgang…!”


Yare yare~ You’re really not being honest.


I nodded with an expression that said I understood everything Uncle Mukgang said and got another knuckle sandwich.


Thunk!


“Ugh!?”


“Don’t call me uncle.”


Anyway, I rubbed my head and pulled out the Hao Wen information sheet I had glanced at before.


I had forgotten about it, but seeing Uncle Mukgang reminded me.


…Or maybe it was the knuckle sandwich that reminded me?


Fumbling around~ Fumbling around~.


[Exclusive! A report on the secret teachings comparable to the Ten Thousand Swords! The Flame Blade!? Does it really exist?]


“Dehht~ Mukgang=Sang! Seeing this leh~ Is it really real? If it is, lend it to me leh.”


“What’s this?”


Mukgang, hearing Sima Mantian’s strange champur, wondered if he had hit him too many times with knuckle sandwiches and took the information sheet to read.


The Flame Blade of the secret teachings… Since Sima Mantian had already mastered the Immovable King’s Technique, Mukgang thought it wouldn’t hurt to tell him and spoke calmly.


“It really exists. But there’s one thing wrong. The Flame Blade isn’t a report; it’s the name of a martial art.”


“It’s a martial art that creates a blade of fire to cut down the opponent.”


At Mukgang’s confirmation, Sima Mantian’s eyes widened in surprise.


The secret martial art of the secret teachings, the Flame Blade!?


Sima Mantian’s nature, his chronic quirk.


The greed for new and interesting martial arts was stimulated.


Already, in Sima Mantian’s mind, a new martial world life with the Flame Blade was drawn.


‘Kyaruruk~ Kyaruruk~ Flame Blade, come here!’


‘Flame Blade~ Blade!’


Enchant the sword with Thunder Technique for lightning, and the Flame Blade for fire on Tagujang.


The martial world’s Sima Mantian, with lightning and fire, appears!


‘Damn… So cool…’


If you set Tagujang on fire, it might just be a torch, but that wasn’t important now.


[Tagut! Taguuut-! It’s burning!]


(Partner! Damn it, it’s burning!)


I sparkled my eyes and said to Mukgang.


“Uncle, then can you teach me that Flame Blade? I recently fought a master from the Wudang Sect. My attack power was lacking, so I barely won by pushing through.”


“…Teach you the Flame Blade? I see.”


Mukgang recalled the earlier spar and quietly looked at Sima Mantian.


The Dog Chasing Stick Technique, the martial arts of the Jeonjin Sect, the Boundless Spear Technique, the Immovable King’s Technique, Taijiquan, the self-created Soul Flight and Spirit Scatter Technique, and the Cloud Dragon Eight Forms.


Sima Mantian, who flexibly used newly learned martial arts, was strong.


If he learned the Flame Blade as he wished, he would become even stronger here.


So teaching him wasn’t a problem.


Moreover, since Sima Mantian had already mastered the Immovable King’s Technique, he could be said to have learned the Flame Blade.


But even for a moment, Mukgang taught Sima Mantian.


“…Is it about time? Fast.”


So as his master, he couldn’t teach him.


“I’ll help with your training. But I have no intention of teaching you new martial arts.”


“…Huh?”


I didn’t think he’d teach me easily. But seeing Mukgang more resolute than expected, I was slightly flustered and argued.


“No, what do you mean you won’t teach me martial arts!”


“Mantian, how long are you going to just keep learning?”


At Mukgang’s following words, it felt like I got hit on the head with a hammer, and I was speechless.


“Huh? That learning… It’s endless…”


“True. But what will you do when you can’t learn from others anymore?”


“………”


“Even if you become the strongest in the world, will you still look for someone stronger than you?”


I couldn’t answer Mukgang’s question.


The strongest in the world – the strongest in the world.


Who can teach the strongest in the world? If there’s someone who can teach the strongest, then that person is the strongest.


In other words, they don’t exist.


There’s no one who can teach the strongest in the world. You can’t get stronger just by learning.


I’ve gotten stronger by learning so far.


That’s not bad. It’s natural.


Asking someone to teach you isn’t shameful.


After parting with Master Confucius when I was young.


I realized I had to get even stronger through the fight with Banryong and met Mukgang to learn the Immovable King’s Technique.


I met Master Wang Miaoyang and learned the advanced martial arts of the Jeonjin Sect, and unlike before, where I learned briefly from masters and trained alone, I received continuous education.


Turns out, I learned Taijiquan from Jaro, the Martial Alliance leader who shared the same master.


I learned the Namgung Family’s sword techniques from Sister Sososo, and somehow, I even mastered the Thunder Technique that only the Namgung Family can use.


When I thought my training was stuck, I got the Cloud Dragon Eight Forms martial arts book that Master Confucius left for me and created the Soul Flight and Spirit Scatter Technique based on it.


I met the young Ma Yang and mastered the Jeonjin Sword Technique and the lacking sword handling methods.


Yes, I’ve always been lucky enough to meet masters who helped me grow when I needed it.


‘Even if you become the strongest in the world, will you still look for someone stronger than you?’


Mukgang’s calm words created ripples in Sima Mantian’s mind, forming a demon.


Jiegal Yang, Jaro, Mukgang, Noyushim, Master Wang Miaoyang.


The strong martial world figures I’ve met so far who are ahead of me…


And the master with the biggest presence in me.


Eight feet tall, an ugly face, a kind voice.


The martial world’s wanderer, Confucius, who learned all the martial arts in the world.


The image of him appearing out of nowhere whenever I needed to learn something…


A sense of relief and frustration rose, and I clenched my teeth.


Maybe deep down, I thought I couldn’t surpass those ahead of me, my master? That I just needed to learn from them?


The fear of demons is that they create their own worries.


…But Sima Mantian needed it now.


Mukgang quietly watched Sima Mantian, who had fallen into thought and forgotten to speak.


At eighteen, at the peak. Currently, Sima Mantian is undeniably a strong martial artist.


There are many stronger than Sima Mantian, but that’s only relative.


In small sects, he could be a sect leader, and in prestigious sects like the Nine Great Clans, he could be a candidate for the next sect leader.


But to reach the next ‘realm’…


Those who can stand against the world alone.


To reach the realm of the so-called Three Evils of the Martial World or the Ten Great Masters, you can’t just keep learning.


Mukgang’s serious, heavy voice echoed.


“Mantian, right now, you’re a stone.”


Stone – a blockhead.


“………!?”


‘Hah, the genius who even deceives the heavens, me, a blockhead!?’


My body trembled at the unacceptable insult from my master.


“…I can’t accept this insult dehtchaaaa!”


Turning into a beast, I threw punches at Uncle Mukgang and immediately got a knuckle sandwich.


Thunk!


“Uuuuu… I’m… I’m not a blockhead…”


Looking down at Sima Mantian muttering on the ground, Mukgang thought calmly.


‘Young monk… Break yourself. Awaken yourself.’


Like the day you proudly put your name on the Immovable King’s plaque, become the genius who even deceives the heavens.


You must realize your own ‘ultimate move’ that you can risk your life to perform, not just what you’ve learned from your master.


***


After causing a commotion and calming down, I sat down properly and asked Mukgang.


Of course, I wasn’t asking why he suddenly called me a blockhead.


Uncle Mukgang isn’t the type to say meaningless things, and he probably gave me his own advice about my current state that I hadn’t realized.


So I asked again why Mukgang came to this mountain.


“So you said you came here for work. What exactly is it?”


“Will you help? Even so, I can’t teach you the Flame Blade.”


“…That’s fine now. I’m just curious. And you said you’d help with my training. Finish the work quickly. You’ll help with my training, right?”


“Hmph-.”


Mukgang chuckled lightly and, instead of telling me to stay away because it’s dangerous, told me why he came to this mountain.


“I’m chasing a runaway Blood Church executive. A guy famous for almost assassinating the Heavenly Demon.”


And at Mukgang’s calm words, the staff Tagujang I had casually placed on my leg rolled clatter~ to the ground.


A black, fog-like figure with cracks all over his body, almost broken.


Tagujang, residing in Sima Mantian’s mental world…


The fragment of the Heavenly Demon’s memory blinked in surprise.


“Deht? Watashi?”