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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: cyno
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Truthfully, I have no real reason to sleep.
Sleep is something taken for physical rest and mental enrichment, isn’t it?
My body, already half-immortal, remains in peak condition unless my mind demands otherwise.
As for my mind… though there were times it was shattered, it’s mostly recovered now.
For these reasons, I don’t *need* to sleep, but I often do anyway—considering it a way to let life flow by.
Nothing passes time as effortlessly as sleep.
And when I wake in the morning, there’s one sight I’ve grown accustomed to lately.
“……!”
Jin Gayoung, swinging her sword with vigor.
These days, it seems the first thing I see upon waking is her training.
Not that I dislike it. In fact, it’s endearing—like seeing a reflection of my younger self.
“Ugh.”
I step out of bed, my bare feet meeting the warm floor.
The grogginess of exhaustion no longer lingers.
Perhaps because my recent “executions” have been so effortless they hardly feel like executions at all.
*Crunch—*
I grab an apple from the nearby table and take a bite. The crisp texture melts smoothly in my mouth.
After briefly savoring the sweet-tart flavor, I wash my face with the basin beside it.
Not that there’s a single blemish to clean, but the refreshing sensation of the act itself makes me do it unconsciously.
With my face now fresh, I straighten my clothes and step outside—where Jin Gayoung is still immersed in her sword practice.
“You should loosen your grip.”
“Eek! A-Ah, Mister? Wh-When did you wake up?”
“Just now.”
Startled by my sudden commentary from behind, she flinches.
“You could’ve said something… I haven’t even prepared breakfast yet… Wait, what did you say earlier?”
“I said I just woke up.”
“No, no, before that.”
“I said the young lady’s grip is too tight, so she should loosen it.”
“Hmm… Could you explain in a bit more detail?”
“It’s nothing complicated.”
The Taiyuan Jin Clan’s heirloom technique, the *Frozen Flame Sword*, is a heavy sword style.
Like the Namgung’s swordsmanship.
But its weight doesn’t come from brute force.
“Think of it this way. You’re swinging the *sword*, not the hand gripping it, right?”
“Yes……?”
“The power should be focused at the tip of the blade, but you’re tightening your grip and swinging from the wrist. That naturally strains your wrist and prevents you from using the sword’s full potential.”
“Hmm… Could you show me?”
“Of course.”
Taking her sword, I swing it in a wide arc.
No need to measure strength—this is the most fundamental principle of heavy swords, something most martial artists never grasp.
*Whoosh—!*
“Wow.”
Jin Gayoung lets out a short exclamation.
It’s nothing special, but I can’t help feeling a little smug.
“So it’s not about enduring the sword’s weight, but using it.”
“Now that you understand, you should be able to do it easily.”
“I’ll know once I try.”
I don’t even need to see her attempt it.
The look on her face says she’s already grasped it.
To understand from just that demonstration… truly, a genius is a genius.
*Whoosh—!*
As expected, Jin Gayoung swings the sword a few times on her own and soon succeeds in executing the technique as I described.
Joy spreads across her face.
Seeing her happy makes me satisfied too.
“But, Mister.”
“Yes.”
She calls out to me suddenly, pausing mid-celebration over her newfound skill.
“How do you counter a fast sword with a heavy one?”
“A fast sword? Just swing harder.”
“No, not like that… I mean *really* fast swords, the kind you’d call ‘extreme-speed swords’….”
“You’re worried about *Baihua*, aren’t you?”
“Ahem, since my next target is Shanxi… Well, yes, that’s how it is.”
“Shanxi also has the Zhongnan Sect. Are you planning to ignore them?”
“Even so, I’ll focus on Huashan first. Right now, among the three great orthodox sects, Huashan is ranked right after Shaolin and Wudang.”
“Hmm……”
Jin Gayoung is a woman of ambition.
I’d love to fulfill that ambition with my own martial prowess, but what she truly desires is the Taiyuan Jin Clan’s growth.
Given her personality, she wouldn’t accept success built entirely by an outsider’s hand.
“Young Lady, may I offer some presumptuous advice?”
“Go ahead. How could *you* ever be ‘presumptuous,’ Mister?”
“Huashan and Zhongnan are on a completely different level from sects like the Hengshan Sword Sect. They’re fundamentally different from those rootless factions that crumbled after losing a single peak expert.”
“Ugh… Was I being too hasty?”
“Yes. You said you wanted the Jin Clan to join the Five Great Families, didn’t you? Then first, reach the level of a peak expert. It’s not like you *need* a peak expert to become one of the Five Great Families or the Nine Major Sects. But for the Taiyuan Jin Clan, which lacks even the barest foundation, a peak expert is indispensable.”
“Ouch…! Stop hitting where it hurts…! Even so, we’re still the number one sect in Shanxi—aren’t you underestimating us too much?”
“And you know better than anyone that’s only because of the White Blade Vagrant.”
“……I know… *Sigh*, I must’ve gotten ahead of myself.”
Jin Gayoung’s shoulders slump.
It’s harsh, but this is reality. There’s nothing I can do about it.
All I can do for her is show her how to break through these hard truths.
Not by planting false hope, but by guiding her toward real growth.
I can say this with confidence—I’ve lived through it in the cycles of regression.
“No one can afford to underestimate Huashan’s *Plum Blossom Sword Art*. Their *Solitary Ancient Sword* is considered one of the finest in the world.”
“Are you saying the Great Elder was right? That our clan’s *Frozen Flame Sword* is primitive compared to those techniques?”
“The Zhongnan Sect’s *Cloud-Treading Sword* is said to have even impressed Zhang Sanfeng in ancient times. The *Nine Yin Manual* and *Nine Yang Divine Art* are practically the origins of Shaolin, Wudang, and Emei’s martial arts.”
“Ugh…! Why do you keep bringing those up?! I *know* our clan’s techniques can’t compare!”
“The Taiyuan Jin Clan’s *Frozen Flame Sword*… is weak. Though it’s a heavy sword style, it wields two opposing energies, making it extremely difficult to master. Even if perfected, its potential pales next to the *Solitary Ancient Sword* or the *Nine Yang Divine Art*.”
“S-Stop…! That hurts…!”
“But the problem isn’t the technique itself.”
“Please, just—Huh?”
Jin Gayoung, who had been clutching her chest in exaggerated pain, suddenly widens her eyes.
“The *Frozen Flame Sword*’s essence is extraordinary. To simultaneously wield fire and water—two opposing forces—is a concept that transcends even the harmony of yin and yang.”
“……! Y-You can’t just suddenly praise our clan’s technique like that…! My heart can’t take it…!”
“The issue lies with its founder’s limitations. The idea was brilliant, but the execution fell short. The *Frozen Flame Sword* is the product of that shortcoming.”
“…What are you trying to say? You’re not just pointing out flaws for no reason, are you?”
Exactly. It pains me to see such talent and ambition crashing against a clear ceiling.
If left as is, she’ll never reach the level of a peak expert—not without an extreme epiphany or a miraculous opportunity.
So, I’ll make an offer.
“May I… refine the *Frozen Flame Sword* for you?”
“……Huh? Refine?”
“Yes. I won’t alter its foundation. I’ll remake it into a technique you’ll never be disappointed in. I swear this on the name of ‘Sword Saint.’”
“Wait… This is too sudden. Refining it just like that…?”
“I understand your confusion. But you already know, don’t you? The *Frozen Flame Sword* has a clear limit. You’ve felt it yourself while training.”
“I-I know that! But changing a technique I’ve honed my entire life is…”
“I’m not asking you to discard it. Just to refine it. Think carefully—who is the man standing before you?”
It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but it’s necessary to make her understand.
Namgung Cheolbin, the Sword Saint.
A name incomparable to the White Blade Vagrant or *Byeolak*—a man whose martial prowess, even at his lowest, was said to rival Bodhidharma himself.
Lately, we’ve been so close that she might’ve forgotten, but Jin Gayoung knows the weight of that name better than most.
“Ugh…… Just… give me a moment……”
I know this proposal could be seen as presumptuous.
That it might wound her pride.
But the Jin Gayoung I know—the one who values real gains over fleeting pride—will accept.
Even if it stings a little.
“*Sigh*… What should I do…?”
And though I’ve never learned another clan’s techniques (except the Namgung’s), I *have* created martial arts before.
Not in this cycle, but in past ones, when I judged that I couldn’t overcome adversity alone, I trained elite special forces. The techniques they used were all my own creations.
I once even improvised a technique on the spot for a pink-haired girl struggling to make ends meet.
“Mister, let me ask you one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“You know the Seven Blossoms Tournament is coming soon, right?”
“Yes.”
It’s been on my mind constantly—how could I not?
“My target is Huashan’s *Baihua*… but she won’t be the only one there. The strongest of the Seven Blossoms—Kunlun’s *Jade Blossom*—will come, along with *Fist Blossom*, *Heavenly Blossom*, *Poison Blossom*, *Snow Blossom*… and *‘that person’* will likely attend too.”
She could’ve just said the name, but she calls her *‘that person.’*
Even though she’s three years *younger* than Jin Gayoung.
I appreciate the consideration, but…
“You can say it plainly. *Thunder Blossom*.”
“Ugh… But still… she’s *your…*.”
She’s my daughter.
Even if our family register no longer reflects it.
We’re bound by blood.
“Young Lady, let me say one thing to help you decide.”
“……?”
“Right now, my greatest concern is how to ensure *your* victory in the Seven Blossoms Tournament.”
“Ah……!”
“Not my daughter.”
But what does that even mean?
Why would I worry about a daughter who no longer acknowledges me as her father?
Especially when she’s now a competitor.
“You said you want to defeat *Baihua*, but *I’m* worried about *Thunder Blossom*.”
“R-Really?”
“*Jade Blossom* is beyond your reach for now, so never mind her… but *Thunder Blossom* is a genius. The greatest I’ve ever seen. That’s why, at just fifteen, she achieved the unthinkable—joining the Seven Blossoms.”
“I’ve heard all about *Thunder Blossom*. They say she’s a once-in-a-millennium prodigy.”
“Yes. And she’s also a warrior I trained.”
“Ugh……”
“Then think it over. I’ll give you some space. Remember—the Seven Blossoms Tournament isn’t far off.”
With those words, I turn to leave—
“…Do it.”
Jin Gayoung’s slender hands clutch my wrist.
“You’ve made up your mind?”
“……Yes, I have.”
Though she seems hesitant at a glance, there’s something resolute in her voice.
“It’ll be trouble for you, but… I’ll entrust our clan’s technique to you.”
“I’ll ensure you’re never disappointed.”
“Don’t feel too pressured.”
I was starting to feel like I’d been lazing around too much—thankfully, I now have a little project.
A small, personal project.
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