Chapter 57: The Lonely Path of the Sword, Looking Toward Its End

“So, you’ve come to see the Absolute Sword Cliff?”

Qing nodded.

"Yeah. Namgung said it was a must-see. Apparently, it’s a really big deal?"

Yu Ha-jinin smiled.

"Haha, the Absolute Sword Cliff is the insight left behind by the legendary Celestial Martial Emperor. It is one of Mount Hua’s greatest treasures. We cannot simply show it to outsiders."

Oh.

It wasn’t open to just anyone.

That was disappointing.

Qing never really cared about landscapes before.

But after spending a month climbing Mount Hua, she had to admit—

Some places actually were breathtaking.

Having spent most of her past life in industrial hellholes, Qing had never seen mountains like these.

Korea had its own beautiful scenery, sure.

But in terms of scale?

Nothing this massive.

She pouted.

"Oh… that sucks."

Yu Ha-jinin chuckled.

"But… our youngest little sister is no outsider, is she?"

Qing’s head snapped up.

"Wait—does that mean—"

"Yes. You may see it."

"Hell yeah! I mean—uh—I humbly accept, Senior!"

Yu Ha-jinin laughed again.

"But, if you do gain any insights, would you be willing to share them? With your talent, you may see things that we do not."

"Oh, absolutely! I’ll write you a whole damn essay if you want."

"Haha, no need to go that far."

Of course, Yu Ha-jinin didn’t actually expect anything.

Even Mount Hua’s greatest swordsmen struggled to comprehend the Absolute Sword Cliff.

There was no way a twenty-year-old girl at late Peak realm could possibly understand.

Behind their conversation, Peng Daesan and Namgung Shinjae, who were sitting like folding screens, exchanged glances.

Their expressions?

Complete disbelief.

Why?

Because they had to do a whole-ass mission just to see the Absolute Sword Wall.

A tedious, annoying, time-consuming mission, and their success couldn't be guaranteed.

Not hard.

Not dangerous.

But so damn frustrating.

Therefore, they were wandering the Murim to carry out their missions, leaving the comfort of their great clans.

Of course, the missions weren't of a compulsory nature, requiring them to devote themselves entirely to their completion.

Even so, having seen the Sword Cliff, they had to at least pretend to carry out their missions.

They couldn't just return to their clans and lie down.

And Qing?

It was all "Oh, Qing, you're so cute, let's go see the Sword Cliff right away."

What the fuck.

Of course, they knew why.

It was the usual favoritism between Daoist sects.

But this?

This was next-level bullshit.

They barely held back their gritted teeth.

Yu Ha-jinin had his own reasons.

He trusted Mount Hua’s swordsmen.

But could he trust the heirs of the Great Martial Families?

Not a chance.

When the time came—

Would they choose righteousness?

Or family?

The truth?

Most always chose family.

That’s why Yu Ha-jinin hesitated before showing them the Absolute Sword Wall.

But Qing?

She was different.

Because she was Ximen Surin’s disciple.

And Ximen Surin?

She was Mount Hua’s greatest ally.

If disaster ever fell upon Mount Hua—

She would be one of the few to stand by them.

So if Yu Ha-jinin could win Qing’s favor—

Perhaps he could call upon her master’s aid in the future.

And…

Well…

She was adorable.

Everyone feared him these days.

As Sect Leader, he rarely got to meet young people who weren’t terrified of him.

But Qing?

She smiled.

She laughed.

She spoke her mind without hesitation.

It was refreshing.

He couldn't help but spoil her a little.

"Haha. I would love to chat with you longer, but a Sect Leader’s duties never end."

"Ah, are you really busy? Damn, I didn’t mean to—"

"No worries. I always have time for out youngest little sister. Come, let’s go see the Absolute Sword Cliff together."

No one knew exactly how strong the Celestial Martial Emperor was.

But one thing was certain—

Before even reaching sixty, he had already reached the level of immortals.

He could have ascended.

But he refused.

"I will not ascend until I reach the absolute peak of martial arts."

That was his infamous declaration—

"Never See the End, Never Ascend."

Thus, he traveled the world.

Visiting the Nine Great Sects one by one—

Studying their secret arts.

According to rumors, he didn’t ask for these techniques.

He just walked in, beat up their elders, and took them.

Of course, no one could confirm this.

All the old masters took that secret to the grave.

Regardless—

However, no matter how much of a benefactor he was to all martial artists, having single-handedly saved the Murim from the government's conspiracy, it was still difficult to believe that the sects would readily hand over their secret techniques.

In exchange, the Celestial Martial Emperor left behind his insights.

Not in words.

Not in books.

But as sword marks carved into solid stone.

These became the Absolute Sword Cliff of the Nine Great Sects.

Of course, outsiders complained—

"Why do the Nine Great Sects get to hoard the Celestial Martial Emperor’s wisdom?"

But the sects simply laughed.

The Martial Emperor deliberately chose remote, isolated locations.

Places only sect members could access.

"He left these behind for us. Not for you."

That was their stance.

And so, Yu Ha-jinin’s grandfatherly storytelling continued—

Until they arrived at the narrow mountain pass.

They passed through a short ravine—

And then—

They saw it.

The Absolute Sword Cliff

Qing’s eyes widened.

"Ohhh..."

A massive stone cliff—

Covered in countless sword scars.

Each cut shaped like a falling flower petal.

Qing tilted her head.

Hmm.

Honestly?

It wasn’t that impressive.

I mean, how do we know that’s a sword technique?

For all she knew, this could just be natural erosion or some weird weathering effect.

To be fair, the mountain itself was way more impressive.

Still—

Someone brought her here.

Someone explained everything to her.

That meant—

She had to show some appreciation for the person who brought her here.

It was her duty and courtesy to lavish praise for the sake of the kind-hearted Mount Hua sect elder.

That was just good manners.

This judgment was precisely why Qing was so beloved by the elderly.

She was great at acting impressed when she needed to be.

Qing was about to start spouting nonsense about how majestic it was when—

And suddenly—

The world turned gray.

Everything froze.

Except for one thing.

A man stood before her.

Old.

Hair tied back, completely white.

A stubborn, unyielding face.

In his hand—

A sword.

But he wasn’t holding it up.

His grip was loose, his arm relaxed.

And yet—

White flower petals slowly drifted from his blade.

Not real petals.

They came from the sword itself.

As if the blade were melting into air.

Then—

The sword moved.

And suddenly—

Petals exploded into existence.

Not just a few.

Thousands.

Millions.

They floated, carried by the wind.

Drifting gently downward.

Only to rise again, dancing playfully, like laughing children.

Some spun in place, forming tiny whirlwinds.

Others scattered, disappearing into the endless sky.

Everywhere Qing looked—

She was surrounded by a blizzard of white petals.

So bright.

So dazzling.

So lonely.

Qing reached out.

She tried to grab them.

But—

They slipped through her fingers.

No matter how hard she clenched.

No matter how desperately she grasped.

She could never hold on to them.

Her fingers curled in frustration—

Until—

A single petal landed on her palm.

It wasn’t something to seize.

It wasn’t something to take.

It was just—

Something that only came to her when she stayed still.

Qing raised her head.

The old man was gone, leaving only a single sword.

The old man was there.

The old man was the sword, and at the same time, the sword was the old man.

Finally, the sword flew.

Countless petals, a storm of sword spheres each made of qi, chased after the sword.

The starlight, like a giggling, innocent child, swirled around, leaving the cliff scarred with its traces.

Qing looked at the cliff.

It was a message left by the Celestial Martial Emperor.

It was chaos, a message written in incomprehensible random numbers, in irregular strokes.

A voice flowed from the dazed Qing's mouth.

"The flapping of a butterfly's wings in the flower field of Qinghai creates a storm in Beijing. This is the harmony born from the will of even the smallest creature."

It was a voice that spoke, yet didn't speak.

Qing didn't even know what she was saying.

"Even the smallest creature is like that, so with countless human wills in the world, no change can be predicted."

Qing looked up at the sky.

The sky was cloudy, the surroundings dark.

"Ever-changing. Can humans truly understand the will of heaven? Does martial arts truly place its truth in the unreachable realm beyond the nine heavens?"

The old man despaired.

But he never gave up.

Because humans only show their purity in the face of despair.

Because that's the kind of creature they had evolved into.

The old man opened his mouth.

"I will not-

Suddenly, Qing's senses expanded.

She crossed Mount Hua, crossed the land of Shaanxi.

Mount Hua's disciples were laughing, chatting, training, and in the distance, in cities, in inns, fights and arguments were breaking out as usual, and in the taverns,

"Oh my, I didn't mean to peek, but it's not even dark yet, how indecent. But what an interesting position. Wait, let me see a little more-"

Her senses expanded further.

She crossed the Central Plains, crossed the highest mountain range in the world,

"Ah, those red-skinned barbarian bastards.[^referring to the lighter skin tone of Europeans compared to East Asians.] The red-skinned people eating pig's blood[^Consumption of blood sausage or similar dishes common in some European cuisines], the red-skinned people burning witches[^Reference to the historical persecution and execution of individuals accused of witchcraft in Europe],the red-skinned people clad in iron, charging in the name of God...[^Refers to the Crusades, a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims between the 11th and 13th centuries]"

And finally, she crossed the ocean, passing by people in tents wearing feather hats.[^Reference to Indigenous peoples of the Americas, who were often depicted in European accounts as wearing feathered headdresses and living in tents or teepees]

Qing finally faced the blue planet, flying to the stars and the sea.

The majestic universe unfolded before Qing's eyes.

The most beautiful sight a human could witness.

It was then.

All the starlight twinkled at once, greeting Qing.

The stars whispered in an innocent and gentle voice.

-opened his mouth.

"I will not seek the understanding of heaven and earth. I will only walk the path of a lonely man, striving forward, gazing at the sword's edge."

“Uwegh!” Qing suddenly coughed up blood.

Dark blood splattered onto the ground.

“Hey, hey!”
“Qing! Are you alright?”
“Sword Comrade! The blood!”
“Young Lady! Are you okay!?”

Four voices rang in Qing’s ears simultaneously.

Qing waved a hand, signaling that she was fine for now.

But her stomach still churned.

“M-my back… please…”

She gestured towards her back, waving her hand.

She didn’t know which of them it was, but someone patted her back.

That helped bring up the rest of what she needed to vomit.

“Guweeegh… Haa… Haa… Guweeegh.”

With embarrassing retching sounds, Qing kept coughing up blood, as if she were about to empty her entire body of it.

Once it was all out, she felt strangely refreshed.

Wiping the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, she let out a deep breath.

“Phew! Now I can breathe. Ahh, that actually feels good.”

Her body felt oddly light.

Was it just her imagination? Or was she actually lighter?

“Junior sister, are you alright?”

“Ah, hold on a moment…”

Qing opened her martial arts system to check for notifications.

A new technique had been added, glowing.

And it had a purple border.

Suddenly, a previously unknown technique surfaced in her mind.