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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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I slowly opened my eyes, emerging from meditation.
A profound calm settled over me. My mind and body, cleansed, now grasped the underlying principles of the world.
The Five Desires and Seven Emotions – the five desires and seven emotions of humankind.
Liberated from the five desires that tormented humanity:
Wealth, fame, food, sleep, and sex.
Liberated from the seven emotions that toyed with the five senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch) and distorted one’s perception of reality:
Joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, hate, and desire.
Free from the heavy shackles of desire and emotion, the world seemed insignificant, small. This was the unshakeable mind, the Immovable Heart.
The Immovable Heart Method.
‘Ah… have I ascended… to the realm of the absolute… It is a bittersweet victory…’
I, Sima Mancheon, the genius who deceived even the heavens,
had finally reached the same level as Jesus, who resisted temptation in the wilderness, and Buddha, who attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree.
Above all heavens, beneath all heavens, I alone am the honored one.
My soul, having attained enlightenment, ascended from my earthly body, rising towards the heavens, to a meeting hall bathed in the light of the full moon, high above the clouds, where enlightened beings gathered.
“Hey, Jesus, why haven’t we started the meeting yet?”
“Ah… we’re still waiting for Mancheon.”
I shook my head. It seemed I was late. I looked at the enlightened beings who awaited me.
Jesus, Buddha, Socrates, and… my master.
He had previously appeared in a Gundam, so it wasn’t surprising to see him here. A childlike joy filled me at seeing my master again after so long.
“Yay! Hug!”
For some reason, my leg didn’t hurt. I ran towards my master, arms outstretched.
As I ran, my body grew smaller, younger, reverting back to my childhood form.
My master, seeing my ten-year-old self, reached out and lifted me high in the air, as if I were an airplane.
Lifted by my master’s large frame, I looked down at the world from a height that seemed to surpass even the heavens, basking in the praise of the enlightened beings surrounding us.
“Mancheon, you are a treasure to the martial world.”
“Truly, truly~ Shaolin and Emei concede defeat.”
“A new guardian of the martial world is born! Bring the poisoned wine!!”
My heart swelled with pride at their recognition, and I swung my arms excitedly.
“Hee-hee~ More~ more~ praise me more-!!”
“Of course~ Of course we’ll praise you~ However—”
My master’s benevolent face suddenly twisted into a demonic grimace, resembling Fudo Myo-o!
“Huh?”
“A foolish disciple who sleeps during training will not be forgiven!!”
My master, transformed into Fudo Myo-o, hurled me to the ground. A textbook example of raising someone up only to tear them down.
“GYAAAAAAAAAAH-!!”
Normally, I would have simply landed on the ground with a yelp, but this was the heavens. He had thrown me with such force that I plummeted through the clouds, falling endlessly towards the earth.
The sensation of falling, arms and legs flailing uselessly, with nothing to hold onto, nothing to break my fall… it was a terrifying experience, one I hoped never to repeat.
But strangely, I wasn’t afraid. Fortunately, I had realized something.
I was having a ridiculous dream.
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“Did you sleep well?”
Muk-gang’s calm voice roused me. I blinked, wiping the drool from the corner of my mouth.
“Did I fail at learning the Immovable Heart Method?”
“No, you succeeded. You were so successful, in fact, that you fell asleep.”
I remembered. Despite my doubts about meditation, I had unexpectedly and quickly mastered the Immovable Heart Method.
It was a reversal of cause and effect.
The Immovable Heart Method was typically a prerequisite for mastering the Fudo Myo-o Steps, a way to control the Wisdom King’s energy. However, I had already acquired the steps, albeit through unconventional methods.
Having achieved the result, the process followed naturally.
Perhaps I had simply found my rhythm? Channeling the energy of Fudo Myo-o made it much easier to quiet the noise in my mind and focus, making meditation significantly easier.
Well, considering I fell asleep, I couldn’t claim complete mastery, but I had succeeded in learning it.
“That’s enough meditation. I will now instruct you in how to use the Immovable Heart Method.”
I had passed the written test; now it was time for the practical. Just what I had been hoping for.
I stood up, following Muk-gang. My body felt stiff from sleeping in a meditative posture.
As I stretched, rotating my shoulders and loosening my back, I was hit by a wave of killing intent.
It was like being startled by a bear during a peaceful hike in the mountains.
At first, you’re simply stunned, staring at the bear in disbelief, but then the terror of being mauled by an apex predator sets in, your mind freezing, your body paralyzed.
My unprepared mind, soft and vulnerable, was overwhelmed by Muk-gang’s killing intent. I gritted my teeth and endured.
“Calm your mind and body with the Immovable Heart Method.”
‘*Explain things before you do them! Warn me first! *’
Muk-gang’s calm words only fueled my frustration. If I had low blood pressure, it would have been cured instantly.
Despite my anger, I maintained my composure. I breathed in, then out, drawing upon the energy of Fudo Myo-o from my dantian.
While the Fudo Myo-o Steps involved a sudden, explosive release of energy, the Immovable Heart Method was like drawing water from a well, a slow, careful process of channeling the energy towards my heart.
I focused the energy on my racing heart, calming its frantic rhythm. This was my core.
From my heart, I circulated the energy throughout my trembling body. I breathed in, then out.
Finally, I channeled the energy to my upper dantian, my mind.
Muk-gang had said it should be as easy and instantaneous as drawing a sword, but I wasn’t proficient enough yet. I couldn’t simply activate and deactivate the Immovable Heart Method like flipping a switch.
I carefully controlled the flow of energy, as gently as handling a newborn infant, slowly, delicately channeling a single drop to my mind.
My mind cleared. I could still sense the killing intent, but the fear was gone. Detached from my emotions, I observed my surroundings, perceiving the world with clarity.
A clear and tranquil mind, like a still pond reflecting a clear sky.
Immune to fear, charm, and all mental afflictions. I had achieved Wisdom King Mode.
Seeing my calm demeanor, my gaze steady and focused, anticipating his next move, Muk-gang withdrew his killing intent.
“While the activation is slow, too slow for practical combat, you’ve done well.”
As I was about to release the energy of Fudo Myo-o, having passed the practical test, Muk-gang stopped me.
“Maintain the Immovable Heart Method. I will now teach you the second application of the Fudo Myo-o Steps.”
I sighed internally. Maintaining Wisdom King Mode for extended periods was incredibly draining.
It consumed my internal energy at an alarming rate, and the precise control it required meant that even a momentary lapse in concentration could break the technique.
But I wouldn’t complain. I had committed to learning this, and I was eager to learn the second application of the Fudo Myo-o Steps.
I nodded, maintaining my focus, and Muk-gang, in his usual calm tone, began his explanation.
There were two applications of the Fudo Myo-o Steps, he explained. The first was the grounding technique he had initially demonstrated, and the second was an evasive maneuver.
Evasion, a technique reliant on swift footwork, was challenging for me, with my crippled leg. But Muk-gang continued his explanation, seemingly unconcerned.
“I will demonstrate. Attack me.”
I channeled my internal energy into my staff, carefully gauging the distance, calculating the range of my attack with my left foot.
Muk-gang confidently stepped into range, as if inviting the attack.
I lunged, my left foot sliding smoothly across the ground, and swung my staff upwards in a swift arc, aiming for Muk-gang’s chin.
Dog Beating Staff Technique – Striking the Mangy Cur – An upward strike to the chin.
I wasn’t holding back. If I intended to strike, I would strike with intent. I had no desire to learn a technique easily countered by someone of my level.
So, I executed the technique with all my might, testing the second application of the Fudo Myo-o Steps, evaluating its worth.
Whoosh—
‘Huh?’
With a single step, Muk-gang casually evaded my full-power attack.
He had identified the brief opening in my movement and exploited it with minimal effort, slipping past my defenses and into my center.
Considering the vast difference in our skill levels, it wasn’t surprising that Muk-gang could evade my attack. But there was something… more to it.
It transcended a simple disparity in skill.
Muk-gang, seeing my surprise, smiled faintly, an almost imperceptible twitch of his lips.
“So, is it worth learning?”
He had already seen through my arrogance, but I didn’t care. Worth learning? Was that even a question?
To be able to evade a powerful attack with minimal movement… the trade-off was incredible. It was practically precognitive.
‘I want it.’
Despite the Immovable Heart Method suppressing my emotions, greed surged within me. It seemed I was destined to remain a mere mortal, forever beyond enlightenment.
“It’s more than worth learning. Teach me. Now.”
The greedy wolf, eyes gleaming with avarice, smiled at the giant, salivating at the prospect of acquiring this new, delectable technique.
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The beautifully manicured gardens of the Sima estate, filled with the cheerful chirping of birds.
A chilling wind swept through the garden, interrupting Sima Bu and Jang Chun-hwa’s pleasant conversation.
It was a cold, sharp wind, unseasonable for this time of year, carrying the stench of death, the reek of murderers.
Sima Bu removed his robe and draped it over his beloved wife, shielding her from the assassins’ killing intent.
“My dear, there’s a chill in the air. Perhaps you should go inside.”
“Yes, it is unusually cold for this time of year.”
He instructed his disguised guards to escort his wife back to the inner chambers, ensuring her safety. But he remained.
Standing alone in the center of the garden, he shed his benevolent facade, revealing his true face, a ruthless, manipulative man.
He revealed the face of the wolf.
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I though mancheon is a werewolf son🤣
