The carriage sped toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect’s Main Sect.
Except for when they stopped for meals, rested the horses, or slept at an inn for the night, the carriage ran without rest.
Today, too, the carriage was racing down the road.
As the carriage passed, kicking up dust, the sparrows perched on a scarecrow all flew up at once.
"They're just like me."
At Lee Ahn’s words, Geom Mugeuk lifted his head.
"What is?"
A moment ago, beyond the sparrows that had flown up and soared into the sky on the wind, a single crane stood on the ridge between the paddies.
Its noble form seemed just like Geom Mugeuk, and the thought that she was like the sparrows that had just flown away had suddenly occurred to her, prompting her words.
By the time Geom Mugeuk looked out the carriage window, the scenery had already changed, as if everything was but a fleeting moment.
"It’s nothing, just some chirping things."
"How silly."
"But what are you thinking so hard about?"
Throughout the entire carriage ride, Geom Mugeuk had been lost in some deep thought.
"I wonder, will it be cut, or will it not?"
"Pardon?"
Not understanding what he meant, Lee Ahn's eyes grew wide.
Seo Jin, who was with them, also wore a puzzled expression.
Geom Mugeuk stuck his head out the window and shouted to the carriage in front.
"Let's stop for a moment!"
At his command, the two carriages ahead came to a halt.
Geom Mugeuk got out of the carriage, went to the one carrying the Fist Demon and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign, and spoke.
"It’s only three or four days to the Main Sect now. Let's travel together from here."
Thinking there must be a reason for him to do this when they were traveling just fine, the Fist Demon and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign readily dismounted from their carriage.
Geom Mugeuk sent back the two carriages that had been leading them, along with their three drivers.
"From now on, I will drive the carriage."
Indeed, there was a reason for Geom Mugeuk’s actions.
After unhitching the horses and letting them graze in a nearby field, Geom Mugeuk gathered the two Demon Sovereigns, Lee Ahn, and Seo Jin in one place.
"Please come here for a moment!"
The four of them gathered around Geom Mugeuk, all wondering what he was up to.
"Lee Ahn, draw your sword."
Suddenly being told to draw her sword, Lee Ahn did as she was told and drew her blade.
The sharp edge of the Sun Moon Sword flowed along the blade.
‘Is he going to spar with me?’
But her guess was completely wrong.
Geom Mugeuk rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm.
"Strike my arm with that sword."
A moment of silence passed.
"Are you testing your protective energy?"
"No. I'm going to try and block it without protective energy."
At those words, not only Lee Ahn but the other three were startled.
Everyone's gaze fell upon Geom Mugeuk’s arm and the Sun Moon Sword.
"This is the Sun Moon Sword. The very one you gave me as a gift, Young Cult Master. Isn't the blade a bit too sharp to test if it's the real thing?"
"I'm not trying to test if that's the real thing. I'm trying to test if something else is."
What on earth was he talking about?
"My arm is getting sore. Hurry up and strike."
"If I strike, that sore arm of yours will be gone for good."
"Hurry!"
Lee Ahn looked at the Fist Demon and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign.
How could the two of them possibly know Geom Mugeuk’s intentions?
Finally, the Fist Demon nodded to his daughter.
It meant for her to do as she was told.
"I'm really striking."
"Strike hard!"
Right, if it were anyone else, I wouldn't, but the Young Cult Master must have a reason.
Oh, I don't know anymore.
The Sun Moon Sword cut through the air.
Since he said he wouldn't use protective energy, she didn't imbue the sword with her inner energy either.
But even so, it wasn't a sword that could be blocked with a bare body.
Swoosh.
Clang.
For a moment, silence descended upon the place.
Everyone’s movements stopped as if time had frozen.
The Sun Moon Sword rested right on Geom Mugeuk's forearm.
Surprisingly, despite striking hard with the Sun Moon Sword, it had failed to cut Geom Mugeuk’s arm.
"Are you alright?"
"No. It hurts like hell. Are you trying to cut off the Young Cult Master’s arm!"
"You told me to strike hard, didn't you?"
"Not this hard. I think the bone is broken."
Of course, unlike his feigned complaint, Geom Mugeuk’s arm was perfectly fine.
"You just used protective energy, didn't you? Right?"
"No."
Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
A strange light flashed in the eyes of the Fist Demon, who had been watching.
"It was not protective energy."
At that, Geom Mugeuk smiled faintly.
"As expected, Master, you could tell."
Everyone was surprised by his words.
Lee Ahn’s surprise was particularly great.
"Even for you, Young Cult Master, you withstood the Sun Moon Sword without protective energy?"
"I used this instead."
Geom Mugeuk took a martial arts secret manual from his robes.
Heavenly Dipper Body.
A body-protection demon art.
It was the very manual he had taken from the treasury where the Secret Vessel was.
The Fist Demon knew of this martial art.
"The Heavenly Dipper Body is a demonic art that was lost long ago, wasn't it? Where did you acquire it?"
"I found it in the underground vault this time."
Geom Mugeuk explained what he knew about the Heavenly Dipper Body.
"The good thing about the Heavenly Dipper Body is that it can be used in conjunction with other body-protection techniques. Using it with protective energy in a moment of crisis will be a great help. Since I obtained it while dealing with the Yellow Dragon Martial Hall, let’s all learn this art together."
At that, the Fist Demon declined.
"A supreme martial art like this has its own master. Fate has brought it to you, so only you should learn it."
"Actually, I was planning to learn it by myself anyway."
It wasn't because of fate or greed.
"To simultaneously activate this Heavenly Dipper Body while raising one’s protective energy requires an immense amount of inner energy. If used carelessly, one might only expend inner energy and end up worse off than just using one's original protective energy. Even if successful, it could strain the body."
That was why he had intended to use it alone.
"But while learning it, I found a way to use it with existing body-protection techniques while minimizing inner energy consumption."
At his words, the Fist Demon and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign looked at each other with surprised expressions.
They knew well how difficult it was to revise a supreme demonic art like the Heavenly Dipper Body.
And he had fixed its greatest weakness.
"You figured that out while traveling here?"
"When it comes to martial arts, am I not a genius?"
Of course, whenever they stayed at an inn, he would use the Heavenly Time Secret Art within the Space-Time Displacement Art to ponder and train for much longer.
Even so, to newly modify and use a martial art like the Heavenly Dipper Body was truly a remarkable feat.
"Please accept this so this disciple can show off a little. And only if you two accept it can Lee Ahn and Seo Jin receive it as well."
After all, they couldn't just readily learn a demonic art that the Demon Sovereigns had refused.
Now that he had put it that way, the Fist Demon no longer declined.
"I will now recite the formula."
At that, Lee Ahn and Seo Jin were greatly overwhelmed with gratitude.
"Are you really going to pass on such a precious demonic art to us?"
Lee Ahn was truly moved.
The Flying Heaven Sword Technique, the Sun Moon Sword, and now the Heavenly Dipper Body.
The Cult Master had even given her the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.
‘Just how much are you planning to work me?’
Looking at her trembling eyes, Geom Mugeuk shattered the touching moment.
"It's not for you."
"Then?"
Geom Mugeuk said as he drew the Black Demon Sword.
"So that I can strike too. See this bruise here? You're next!"
Lee Ahn flinched and stepped back at the sight of the Black Demon Sword.
"I will offer my arm once I achieve Great Mastery. Please wait for about thirty years."
Knowing full well it was a joke, Geom Mugeuk played along.
"I won't forget to test you then."
His words lifted Lee Ahn's spirits.
It also meant they would be together in thirty years.
The person most overwhelmed with gratitude among them was Seo Jin.
She even waved her hands in refusal as she backed away.
"I am fine."
Lee Ahn was Geom Mugeuk's direct Branch Master and was called his heart, so it was understandable, but wasn't she just a mere Squad Leader? She couldn't possibly learn such a great demonic art alongside the Demon Sovereigns.
"No, you need this martial art the most. You have to survive until you can save us with your Ghost Arts, don't you?"
Seo Jin truly wanted that.
She hoped the day would come when she could save these people with her Ghost Arts.
"The time for a martial artist to be cautious is not when learning martial arts, but when using them. For now, you just have to say thank you."
Seo Jin felt it again.
The Young Cult Master's undeserved affection.
"Thank you."
How could Geom Mugeuk not give them such undeserved affection?
Lee Ahn and Seo Jin.
They were the two people who had made his regression possible.
They were people to whom he would give anything without regret.
Thus, Geom Mugeuk taught the four of them the formula for the new Heavenly Dipper Body.
He repeated the formula several times so that everyone could memorize it.
For the next few days on their way back to the Main Sect, they all trained in the Heavenly Dipper Body.
The Fist Demon, who had strongly refused the Heavenly Dipper Body at first, trained the hardest.
"My goodness, what would you have done if I hadn't passed it on to you?"
Geom Mugeuk teased him whenever he saw that large frame training even late into the night, but the Fist Demon silently focused only on his training.
In truth, it was understandable.
A body-protection technique like the Heavenly Dipper Body was most helpful to a fist master who fought with his bare body.
Was his fervor contagious?
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign also trained properly in the Heavenly Dipper Body.
As it was a body-protection technique that suited demonic arts well, she too felt its necessity.
Naturally, Geom Mugeuk and the two Demon Sovereigns began to discuss the Heavenly Dipper Body together.
The Fist Demon had his thoughts on the weaknesses of the Heavenly Dipper Body, and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign had her own feelings about it.
Having never discussed a single martial art so openly before, the two Demon Sovereigns found the conversation extremely interesting.
Especially since the three of them had recently made great achievements in their martial arts.
Because of that, their conversation went beyond the principles of body-protection techniques and contained deep implications and realizations spanning the entirety of martial arts.
Lee Ahn and Seo Jin just listened.
There were many things they couldn't understand, but the two of them tried their best to remember everything.
A day would come when they would understand the meaning of the stories they heard today.
As a result of their discussions, they were able to make the formula flow a little more smoothly.
"Thanks to you two, it’s not just the New Heavenly Dipper Body, but the New-New Heavenly Dipper Body! The martial art is finally complete."
But the Fist Demon and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign knew.
The fact that they could make various suggestions was only possible because of the form that Geom Mugeuk had modified.
If they had been given the original Heavenly Dipper Body, they wouldn't have even thought of improving it.
They would have just accepted it as it was.
The difference was immense.
"Now, draw your sword."
This time, the Fist Demon had Geom Mugeuk draw his sword.
The Fist Demon held out his large fist and forearm.
"Strike."
"You know, right? My sword is the Black Demon Sword. It's a Demon Sword ranked second. Oh, and the one striking is also ranked second. It’ll get cut, I tell you."
"Enough, just strike already."
"Here I go!"
Swoooosh.
Craaaack!
The Black Demon Sword failed to cut the Fist Demon’s thick forearm.
"Excellent."
Of course, Geom Mugeuk hadn't imbued his sword with inner energy either.
But considering it had only been a few days since they started learning, blocking the sharpness of the Black Demon Sword was enough for the Heavenly Dipper Body to prove what a great body-protection art it was.
"Alright, let's test its defense against strikes this time."
"Great. Where should I hit? Just say the word."
"This time, I'll be the one hitting. What kind of test would it be with those little hands of yours?"
Watching the Fist Demon clench his large fist, Geom Mugeuk quickly scurried backward.
"I'll take that punch on the day I cut Lee Ahn's arm thirty years from now."
The three women watching the scene laughed together.
Just then, Seo Jin suddenly spoke to Lee Ahn.
"Did I ever tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"Thank you for choosing me."
Seo Jin looked at Lee Ahn and spoke formally.
"Thank you for being my Branch Master."
It was a sudden remark, but it was a proper greeting from the heart.
She felt that she had learned and realized more this time than everything she had experienced in her life combined.
She was thankful for obtaining so easily and comfortably what others might have to struggle a lifetime to gain.
"Thanks to you, Squad Leader Seo, I also learned a lot."
It wasn't just empty flattery.
During this trip, Lee Ahn also had many realizations and lessons.
Lee Ahn’s gaze naturally turned to the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign standing beside her.
An elegant and beautiful figure, yet stronger than anyone else.
In the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign, Lee Ahn saw the path she herself had to walk in the future.
She knew well how important this was.
What's always important is the direction.
No matter how hard a person works, if the direction of that effort is wrong, they won't get results proportional to their efforts.
On the contrary, that effort can become a poison that consumes the person.
To have worked so hard for such a meager result.
I was a fool to struggle in vain.
In times like these, one should just turn back, but often the effort made so far holds them back.
That is why the direction is important from the start.
Only when effort meets the right direction does it become destiny.
Lee Ahn's gaze turned to the person who had taught her all this.
As if he had never been joking, Geom Mugeuk and the Fist Demon were engaged in a serious conversation about martial arts.
Lee Ahn relayed the words Seo Jin had said to her, to Geom Mugeuk.
‘Thank you.
For being my Young Cult Master.’
*
Geom Mugeuk and the two Demon Sovereigns entered the Heavenly Demon Hall.
With Geom Mugeuk in the center, the Fist Demon and the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign followed behind him.
It was natural for the Young Cult Master, and it was customary for the Demon Sovereigns as well, to greet the Heavenly Demon upon returning from a trip.
Stepping inside the Heavenly Demon Hall, Geom Mugeuk shouted loudly as always.
"Father, I have returned!"
But at the end of the path of blood, his father's Grand Advisor's seat was empty.
And in his father’s place, Grand Strategist Sama Myeong was waiting.
"Young Cult Master, you have arrived?"
"Grand Strategist."
The Demon Sovereigns and Sama Myeong also exchanged greetings.
After the greetings were over, Geom Mugeuk quickly asked.
"Where is my father?"
At that, Sama Myeong delivered some unexpected news.
"The Cult Master has entered seclusion training."