Chapter 36

After finishing meditation, I slowly open my eyes.

My mind settles into an endless calm. My body and spirit become purified, and I grasp the principles of things.

The Five Desires and Seven Emotions – the five desires and seven emotions of humans.

The five desires that torment people.

I am liberated from the desires for wealth, fame, food, sleep, and lust.

The seven emotions that toy with the five senses (eyes, nose, ears, tongue, body) and prevent proper understanding of things.

I shake off joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, hate, and desire.

I break free from the heavy shackles of desire and emotion. The world feels infinitely small. This is the unshakable heart of immutability.

The Immutable Heart Technique.

“Ah… have I ascended… to the position of the supreme being… I am both happy and sad.”

I, the self-proclaimed genius Sima Mantian, who deceives even the heavens.

Finally, I stand in the same position as Jesus, who resisted the devil’s temptation in the wilderness, and Buddha, who attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

Truly, I am the only one revered in heaven and earth.

Having reached the realm of sages, my soul leaves my body and ascends to the heavens. There, above the clouds, is the meeting place of sages illuminated by the full moon.

“Hey~ Jesus, why haven’t we started the meeting yet?”

“Ah… Mantian hasn’t arrived yet.”

I shake my head. It seems I’m late. I look at the sages waiting for me.

Jesus, Shakyamuni, Socrates, and even… Master.

Last time, Master showed up riding a Gundam, and now he’s here again. Master seems to be everywhere. Anyway, I’m happy to see Master after a long time, and my body and mind fill with childlike joy.

“Wow~ Hug me!”

For some reason, my legs don’t feel numb. I spread my arms and run energetically towards Master.

As I step forward, my body becomes younger. I return to my childhood.

Master lifts me up with long arms as I return to my ten-year-old self. He lifts me high, like flying an airplane.

Perhaps because of Master’s large frame, I look down at the world from a sky higher than the sky. I hear the praises of the surrounding sages.

“Mantian, you are the treasure of the martial world.”

“Tathagata, Tathagata~ We admit the defeat of Shaolin and Emei.”

“The new guardian of the martial world is born! Bring the poison cup!!”

Feeling good from the sages’ recognition, I swing my arms rapidly with a bright smile.

“Hehe~ More~ More~ Praise me!!”

“Hoho~ Of course~ I’ll praise you~ But-”

Suddenly, Master’s kind and upright face distorts and turns into that of a demon. It resembles the face of Fudo Myo-o!

“…Huh?”

“A disciple who falls asleep during training is never forgiven!!”

Master, who has become Fudo Myo-o, throws me to the ground with all his strength. It’s a high throw and drop.

“Kyaaaaaaah-!!”

Normally, I would scream and end up smashed on the ground, but this is the sky. No matter how hard I’m thrown, my body pierces through the clouds and falls endlessly to the ground.

The sensation of falling without anything to hold onto or lean against, flailing my limbs. It’s a horrible sensation I never want to experience again.

…But strangely, I wasn’t scared. Because I realized, fortunately, that I’m just dreaming.

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“Did you sleep well?”

At Mukgang’s calm voice, I blink and regain my senses. I wipe the drool from my mouth.

“…Did I fail to learn the Immutable Heart Technique?”

“No. You succeeded. You succeeded so much that your mind and body relaxed, and you fell asleep.”

I remembered. Despite my lack of confidence in meditation, I unexpectedly quickly grasped the unshakable heart, the Immutable Heart Technique.

It’s what they call cause and effect reversal.

The Immutable Heart Technique is originally a process to absorb the energy of the King of Light and unleash the Fudo Myo-o Step. But I had already become a body capable of unleashing the Fudo Myo-o Step through a shortcut.

Since I reached the result first, the process naturally followed.

Is it a knack? Applying the King of Light’s energy made it much easier to meditate as distracting thoughts sank deep into my heart.

…Well, falling asleep shows I haven’t fully mastered it. But anyway, I succeeded in learning it.

“That’s enough meditation. Now, I’ll teach you how to use the Immutable Heart Technique.”

I passed the written test. Now, is it the practical test? What I’ve been waiting for.

I get up from my seat following Mukgang. Sitting in the lotus position made my body stiff.

I rotate my shoulders and stretch my waist to loosen up when I feel a killing intent.

The feeling I have now is like the shock of suddenly encountering a bear while happily hiking.

At first, I stare blankly at the bear, unable to grasp the situation, but soon the fear of being torn apart by an overwhelming predator freezes my thoughts and body.

My soft, unprepared mind is overwhelmed by Mukgang’s killing intent. I just grit my teeth and endure.

“Unleash the Immutable Heart Technique to calm your mind and body.”

‘If you’re going to do something, explain it first! Just say it and do it?!’

Mukgang’s calm words make my irritation soar. If I had low blood pressure, it would have been cured today.

I’m angry, but I don’t show it. I exhale and inhale. I draw the King of Light’s energy from my dantian.

If the Fudo Myo-o Step is about lifting and dropping in one go, the Immutable Heart Technique is about carefully drawing energy to the heart, like drawing water from a well.

I embrace my heart, which is racing madly from the fear of death. I calm it. This is the core now.

I send energy flowing through my trembling body like an aspen tree. I exhale and inhale again.

…Now, finally, I send the energy to the upper dantian, the brain.

According to Mukgang, a martial artist should be able to do it in one go, like drawing a sword from its sheath, but I’m not familiar with it yet, so I can’t switch the Immutable Heart Technique on and off like a switch.

I handle the energy gently, like handling a newborn baby. I send just a drop of energy to the brain.

My mind becomes clear. I still feel the killing intent, but I’m no longer afraid. I shake off emotions and grasp things. I look at the world.

The mind like a clear mirror and still water – immune to fear, charm, and mental status effects. The King of Light Mode Sima Mantian is complete.

As I calmly look at Mukgang without trembling from the killing intent and prepare for the next move, Mukgang stops emitting the killing intent.

“Your activation is too slow for practical use, but you did well.”

As he declares I passed the practical test, I try to release the King of Light’s energy, but Mukgang stops me by extending his hand.

“Don’t release the Immutable Heart Technique yet. In that state, I’ll teach you the second step of the Fudo Myo-o Step.”

I sigh inwardly at Mukgang’s words. Honestly, maintaining the King of Light Mode for a long time is too exhausting.

My internal energy is being depleted in real-time. Plus, precise control is required, so if my concentration slips even a little, it deactivates.

…But since I said I would learn, I can’t complain. And more than anything, I want to learn the second step of the Fudo Myo-o Step. I want to know more.

As I nod while maintaining the energy, Mukgang explains the second step in his usual calm voice.

The Fudo Myo-o Step has two uses. The first is the pressing step Mukgang showed earlier, and the second is the evasion step.

Evasion, moving the legs quickly, is a difficult martial art for me, who is lame. But Mukgang continues explaining as if it doesn’t matter.

“I’ll demonstrate. Attack me.”

Following Mukgang’s words, I infuse my staff with internal energy. I stealthily measure the distance with my left foot, calculating the range of the basic form.

Seeing this, Mukgang confidently steps into my range.

I immediately slide my left foot inward and swing my staff upward strongly, aiming for Mukgang’s chin.

Dog Chasing Stick Technique – Staff Uplifts the Mangy Dog – Uplifting and striking a mangy dog.

There’s no holding back in martial arts practice. If I decide to hit, I hit for real. I don’t want to learn some technique that can be easily pierced at my level.

So, I unleash the basic form with all my might. I test whether the second step of the Fudo Myo-o Step is worth learning.

Swish-

“…Huh?”

One step. Mukgang moves just one step with a calm face and easily dodges my full-powered Dog Chocking Stick Technique basic form.

He identifies the gap in my form and penetrates to the center with minimal movement.

…Considering the difference in our levels, it’s not surprising that Mukgang dodges my attack. But still, something feels off.

There’s something beyond just the difference in levels.

Mukgang looks at me, surprised, and smiles faintly, almost imperceptibly.

“So, does it seem worth learning?”

…Even though my arrogant thoughts have been exposed, it doesn’t matter. Worth learning? Are you seriously asking that now?

Dodging the enemy’s technique with minimal movement is too good for trading blows. It’s almost like Observation Haki.

‘…I want to learn it.’

Even though I should have shaken off emotions with the Immutable Heart Technique, greed boils up. I guess I can’t become a sage even if I die and come back to life.

“It’s overwhelmingly overflowing. Teach me right now.”

A greedy wolf with stars in its eyes smiles at the giant. It savors the delicious new prey.

***

In the beautifully arranged garden of the Sima Family, where birds chirp.

After lunch, a cold and sharp wind blows between Sima Bu and Zhang Chunhua, who are chatting affectionately.

It’s not even early spring, but the wind is cold and sharp. A dirty wind mixed with the smell of killers blows.

Sima Bu takes off his coat and covers his beloved wife. He protects her from the killers’ killing intent.

“Wife, the wind is cold today. It would be good to go inside.”

“You’re right. It’s strange, it’s not even early spring.”

He orders the disguised guards to take good care of his wife and sends her back to the inner chambers. Sima Bu does not return.

He stands alone, proudly in the center of the garden, shedding the sheep’s skin. He reveals the true face of the filthy hypocrite.

He reveals the face of a wolf.