hotmtlnovel Chapter 83
Chapter 83
When a martial artist of Supreme Mastery or higher deploys their martial arts, the most crucial aspect is their mental imagery.
Not just the imagery held in one's own heart, but the mental imagery inherent in the martial art itself profoundly influences its effectiveness.
Qi, after all, is a paradoxical existence that is both real and unreal. It’s somewhat like a quantum particle, existing probabilistically, and mental imagery lends it certainty.
Boom—!
A rotating bullet whirls at Seo-jun’s fingertips. The surrounding air is swept up in the rotation, amplifying its power.
Materialized internal energy encounters some air resistance, but it can bypass most resistance if the mind wills it.
Tang—!
The bullet pierces through a tree, and the wind surges around it, gouging out a massive hole.
Crack—!
The tree, hollowed out in the middle, falls over.
After firing a few more bullets, Seo-jun felt sure.
‘The speed doesn’t change.’
Whether it’s rotating or not, the speed remains the same. The accuracy isn’t significantly affected, though the rotation does consume more energy while increasing power.
The enhanced speed of the bullets is largely due to the image of a gun in Seo-jun’s mind.
It also benefited from the insight he gained from the idiot who had used bow techniques.
Now it was time for Azure Sky Pressure Step. The technique had been inefficient and discarded during the monster flood, but he hadn’t given up on its potential.
Thud—!
As Seo-jun stomped down, the ground far away compressed, and dust rose.
The efficiency was still lacking. It felt like trying to press down on something far away with a ridiculously long stick.
‘I’ll need to reach the Flower Realm to make proper use of it.’
Once he could manipulate the energy of nature, as in the Flower Realm, it would likely gain considerable power.
The imagery for Azure Sky Pressure Step was inspired by the Heavenly Demon’s Dominance Steps, a technique he’d read about in novels back on Earth.
Upon reaching the Flower Realm, he should be able to make thousands of troops kneel with a single step.
Next, he tried the Tenfold Yin-Yang Reversal.
Papapapapap—!
Yin and Yang rapidly alternated at Seo-jun’s fingertips.
After some contemplation, he nodded.
‘It’s good.’
The downside was the considerable energy consumption, though this was mainly an issue for other martial artists.
In fact, it was uncertain if others could even use it. Perhaps he’d teach it to Chun-bong later.
While it did require some attention, Seo-jun wasn’t significantly drained.
He could punch an opponent and unleash Tenfold Yin-Yang Reversal within a confined space, or he could deploy it as a wide-area attack like during the monster flood.
As a wide-area attack, it wouldn’t significantly affect opponents on par with him, but it would be devastating to moderately strong enemies.
After roughly evaluating his martial arts, Seo-jun stood amidst the ravaged training field, gazing up at the sky.
His martial arts grew stronger by the day, yet the heavens remained far out of reach.
He needed one decisive move to bring down the sky.
As Seo-jun pondered, demonic energy flared across his body.
‘The technique with the most powerful single strike is probably Heaven-Reversing Sun and Moon Art.’
The Taiji disperses. Taiji generates Yang, Yang generates the four images, the four images generate the Eight Trigrams, and the Sixty-Four Hexagrams derived from the Eight Trigrams ultimately form all things.
Conversely, Reverse Taiji converges. All things converge into Taiji, and ultimately transform into the original chaos.
While the exact reason was unclear, Heaven-Reversing Sun and Moon Art’s power doubled when infused with demonic energy.@@@@
Their presence alone could instantly decide a battle, and they rarely moved since they were preoccupied with countering enemy Flower Realm masters.
Thus, the strategists of each faction prioritized positioning their Flower Realm masters before deploying Supreme and Peak Masters to implement tactical maneuvers.
When both sides had comparable Flower Realm strength, victory often hinged on the effective deployment of Supreme Masters.
‘Father-in-law once told me not to worry about the Transcendents.’
They were constrained for various reasons.
Most Flower Realm martial artists didn’t concern themselves with worldly affairs.
Take Namgung’s former masters—they’d all vanished into seclusion.
They might not even move if their faction was on the verge of collapse.
“So it looks like this really is war.”
“You could say it’s already begun. This skirmish is just the beginning, and we’ll likely see full-scale war unfold.”
“Ah, man.”
Slapping my forehead, I asked.
“So, shall I go, then?”
“Oh, Warrior—! Hmm...”
The Grand Overseer seemed about to celebrate but then hesitated.
“But... this mission could be truly dangerous. The Chief of the Green Forest is only at early Supreme Mastery, but his raw power is quite formidable...”
Early Supreme Mastery was merely a categorization of levels.
If you could use strong energy, you were at the early stage.
If you could shape that energy, you were at the middle stage.
If you could launch it without any dispersion, you were at the late stage.
If you could wield it as if it were a part of your body, you were at the peak.
While power generally increased with each level, it wasn’t impossible for an early-stage Supreme Master to defeat a peak-stage one.
Didn’t Chun-bong mention the Fist King? Despite being of a lower rank, he was regarded as a top-tier Supreme Master.
Seo-jun, classified somewhere between mid- and late Supreme Master, had blown past his level, his raw talent inflating his rank. His rank was deceptive.
So, facing a prime Supreme Master, not an aged or declining one, was an uncertain outcome.
Still, he wasn’t unconfident. His endurance was extraordinary, allowing him to spam ultimate moves while others threw basic attacks.
As one rose through the ranks, the principles of martial arts mattered more than sheer power, but that was a minor detail.
“Actually, this is the perfect chance. The Huangbo family will also send a Supreme Master, so it’s a relatively safe opportunity for combat experience. It’s not like I can stay sheltered forever.”
Combat experience was essential for growth, and Seo-jun had made up his mind.
“Hmm... but Lady Sua...”
“Ahem! It’s fine! Consider it decided. I’ll be going, so it’s settled!”
Bam bam, I clapped as if sealing the decision, and the Grand Overseer wore a peculiar expression.
Neither happy nor sad, his face contorted awkwardly.
In the end, he bowed deeply.
“Thank you for aiding us once again.”
“Oh, come on. We’re family, aren’t we?”
At this point, wouldn’t Namgung Seo-jun suit me just fine?
Chuckling, I left the Golden Wine Hall.
‘Green Forest, huh.’
What kind of man was the Green Forest Chief?
I’d soon see whose Phantom Ghost Art reigned supreme.