The next day, I began my training in earnest at dawn.
First, physical conditioning.
After running about five li (2.5 kilometers), I felt like I was about to collapse. My legs trembled, and the world spun around me.
My stamina was truly pathetic—worse than I'd ever imagined.
Resisting the urge to use my internal energy, I forced myself to keep running. Only by pushing through this grueling ordeal would my physical strength improve.
Run, walk briskly, run again. I finally collapsed after covering another ten li (5 kilometers).
"Huff... huff... huff... huff!"
I lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. The cold seeping up from the earth into my back seemed to mock the pathetic reality of my body.
Yet I refused to wallow in despair. Instead, with each ragged breath, I channeled anticipation for the transformation this body would undergo.
Catching his breath, he stood up and started running again.
After pushing his body to its limits, he dragged his exhausted body home.
An unexpected figure was waiting for him in front of his house: Song Hwarin. Even from a distance, he recognized her instantly, finally understanding what people meant when they said someone radiated light.
She was wearing different martial attire than the day before, and the change in clothes alone completely altered her aura. As expected, with such a beautiful face and figure, anything suits her.
He was certain that if she were to wear a figure-hugging banquet gown instead of martial attire, she would absolutely outshine every other woman in the world.
"Don't get the wrong idea," she said. "I didn't come because I wanted to. My father sent me to apologize."
She must have been waiting for me after apologizing to my parents.
"I won't misunderstand," she said, her brow furrowing slightly.
Who does she think she is, acting so confident?
Her expression betrayed a desperate urge to unleash such words, barely restrained.
"You were drunk that night, right? Let's see how long that pretty face of yours lasts. You'll be all wrinkled when you get old. So stop acting so high and mighty."
Byeok Ridan, Byeok Ridan. You're so pathetic, so pathetic. At least it happened on a day I can't remember.
"I apologize again for what happened that night."
"No, you're right. Everyone praises my looks now, but as time passes, no one will even glance at me anymore. I think that's only natural."
She remained calm, her perception of reality sharp and precise.
"The more compliments I receive about my looks now, the more devastating the sense of loss will be later. That's why I want to make a name for myself through skill, not appearance. I'd rather hear 'she earns her keep through talent' than 'she lives off her looks.' Achieving that will require tremendous effort, of course. And to be honest, I brought up the engagement annulment because I disliked you. I have no patience for privileged, immature fools who cause trouble just because they're born into good families. But even if you were a good person, the outcome would be the same. I have absolutely no intention of dating anyone right now."
She carried herself with remarkable poise. I could sense that this poise stemmed from genuine inner strength. The real her yearned to achieve success through her own abilities.
I thought she was just a pretty face, but this girl's got more to her than meets the eye.
"I understand your perspective perfectly," I said, signaling my willingness to back down. She seemed surprised by my ready withdrawal.
"I've heard rumors about you," she said.
"What kind of rumors?"
"They say you've changed since that day."
"That's right. Getting beaten by you made me grow up a little."
"They say people don't change easily."
I nodded in agreement. She was right. People truly resist change with stubborn tenacity. I'd experienced that firsthand in my past life.
But at the same time, I'd experienced the exact opposite countless times.
"But there's also no creature as easily swayed as a person."
A single word, a minor catalyst, can completely transform a person's life.
"Could all this be... because your pride was hurt?"
"Think whatever you want."
Ah, yes. These are the emotions that rage between twenty-year-olds.
Meeting and parting over pride. Crying and laughing.
Come to think of it, my twentieth year in my past life had been terribly brutal.
Back then, I'd roamed the Central Plains with a sword, slaughtering villains in the name of practical training. My youth had been filled not with brilliant azure like hers, but with hues of gray and crimson.
"There won't be anything standing in the way of your life from now on."
I threw the parting words like a declaration and turned to go inside.
Bang!
A moment later, I heard the sound of a door being kicked open from behind.
Ten days had passed since I began rebuilding my body.
During that time, no news of my death reached me. I decided not to dwell on it; worrying wouldn't change anything anyway.
I focused solely on my training.
After a full day of grueling practice, changes began to manifest in my body.
What once had me gasping for breath after five li was now a comfortable twenty-li run. I increased both the distance and the pace.
Through training, I confirmed that Byeok Ridan's innate physique wasn't bad at all. His strong blood vessels were proof of that.
If he had cultivated and honed his body properly from a young age, he would have developed a truly magnificent physique.
It's far too late now, but I have no choice. I must strip away the layers of rust and dust that have accumulated on this body as quickly as possible.
I began both physical conditioning and swordsmanship training simultaneously.
Swish.
The sword sliced through the air with blinding speed.
Even in this inferior body, I am still myself.
The sword's gleaming arc embroidered the air. Though my internal energy was insufficient, making the glow faint, the lines traced by the blade approached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
It looked simple, yet it was anything but—so complex that even grasping how to counter it seemed impossible. The path my sword follows is mine alone, the path of an absolute being that brooks no imitation.
Anyone who knew Byeok Ridan would have been astonished by his every gesture and step. Yet, deep within the snow-covered mountains, there wasn't a single soul to witness him—not even a deer with pricked ears.
What I needed to guard against wasn't my current weakness, but rather my memories of past strength.
It was precisely this that could lead me to mistakenly believe I could slay an unkillable foe.
I must never forget that I am Byeok Ridan, not Cheon Hajin.
In my past life, the swordsmanship I mastered was the Soul-Chasing Asura Sword Art.
With this sword art, I rose to become the Foremost Person Under Heaven. I pierced the hearts of all thirteen leaders of the Black Dao Thirteen Alliances and severed the head of the Blood Heaven Divine Cult's patriarch.
One day, the renowned martial arts master and symbol of wisdom, Master Mantong (萬通先生) Do Gyeong (度京), praised my martial arts, declaring them the finest to emerge in the past century. Given his stringent standards for evaluating martial techniques, I had every reason to take pride in his assessment.
The Pursuing Soul Asura Sword Art consists of merely six stances. These Six Stances of Three Blades and Three Calamities are as follows:
First Stance: Ephemeral Blade (刹那刃)
Second Stance: Life-Extinguishing Blade (盡命刃)
Third Stance: Limitless Blade (無極刃)
Fourth Stance: Soul-Stealing Calamity (奪魂劫)
Fifth Stance: Cycle-Returning Calamity (回輪劫)
Sixth Stance: Great Annihilation Calamity (大滅劫)
I can still execute the first three stances, though their power is now a fraction of what it once was.
The final three sword forms required at least sixty years of internal energy to execute.
The fourth form, Soul-Severing Calamity, required sixty years of internal energy; the fifth form, Wheel of Reincarnation Calamity, required one hundred twenty years; and the ultimate technique, Great Annihilation Calamity, required a staggering one hundred eighty years.
The Great Annihilation Calamity, in particular, consumed an immense amount of internal energy and was notoriously difficult to control. Even the slightest mistake could backfire, leading to the user's own death.
As a result, I rarely used it myself. I had only employed the Great Annihilation Calamity once in actual combat—when I killed the Demonic Sect Leader.
In any case, even if I could still use the initial three forms, I couldn't reveal them openly. While ordinary people wouldn't recognize them, some martial arts masters might recognize my swordsmanship.
Until I can perfectly protect myself, it's best to remain cautious.
After finishing my training, I stood on the hill and gazed down. Though the techniques I unleashed stemmed from a mere five years of internal energy, I felt a surge of exhilaration from unleashing my unique martial arts after so long. Moreover, the vitality of youth brought a fresh sensation that even a hundred years of internal energy could never replicate.
"Haaaaaah!"
A resounding shout cleared my mind and lifted my spirits even higher.
"You fool! With such a healthy body, how could you have lived like such trash? Perhaps the heavens allowed me to possess your body not only to give me a chance, but to give you one too—to live a splendid new life!"
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