How much time had passed? I couldn't guess.
When I came to my senses again, the sight before my eyes was the sky of Muhyeolmong, shining brightly despite the absence of the sun.
"Whew."
I let out a deep breath and lifted my upper body.
The Founder still stood at the center, staring blankly into the void with unfocused eyes.
'This time… did my sternum break?'
An overwhelming difference.
It was the first time in my life, aside from my father, that I had felt such a gap.
'Still, it wasn't meaningless. Now I understand.'
At first, I couldn't even perceive the sword strikes.
But after clashing with the Founder multiple times, I finally uncovered the reason behind his strength.
It wasn't that he wielded an extreme form of swordsmanship or possessed an unknown power.
The source of his strength… In simple terms, it was the talent for finding the right answer.
'The Founder executes the optimal move in every moment.'
How to move his body, how to control his mana, how to swing his sword.
Every single time, he instinctively knew the 'perfect choice for that moment.'
That was why he didn't need any special sword techniques or secret arts to win.
The most optimal movement in a given situation was more effective than any ultimate skill or hidden technique.
Quite literally,
'The essence of martial arts itself.'
That was the Founder's talent.
Every movement he made embodied the core principles of martial arts.
Fundamentals, and basics.
He simply upheld the essence of martial arts with absolute fidelity.
'The problem is that his mastery of that essence isn't just solid—it's on a whole other level.'
Each fundamental principle held a depth comparable to a secret art.
Even a simple downward strike, if swung by the Founder, became an unavoidable killing blow.
Now, at last, I understood the legends about him.
The title of Martial God was not an exaggeration.
"…I understand now."
I picked up my sword and rose to my feet once more.
For the first time ever, I focused my entire being on this moment.
'It's not like I ever had anything to begin with.'
I gripped my sword so tightly my hands went numb.
I had never once gained anything easily in my life.
To witness the same sight the Founder saw, I would fight once again.
Tap—.
The Founder moved.
'He's coming! But from where—?!'
Slash—.
That was as far as I could perceive before my head was severed.
There was no need for review—I simply rose again and charged at him once more.
Thrust!
My heart was pierced.
Crunch!
My skull was split open.
I was struck by countless sword attacks from every direction, in every conceivable way.
I chose not to think about the pain.
If martial arts were to be compared to architecture—
Predicting an opponent's movements and the way one wields their sword would be like the steel framework forming the building's skeleton.
Even if those elements weren't outwardly visible, one could infer how they had been constructed.
The completed structure, with its walls and exterior polished, was akin to sword techniques, secret arts, and ultimate skills.
'That's not what matters.'
What I sought to see was not the swing of the sword or the path it carved—things that could be observed on the surface.
I wanted to see what was invisible. What couldn't be easily inferred.
The ground beneath the building.
The solid foundation hidden beneath it all.
Boom!
Once again, time passed in a blur.
There were no breaks.
I relentlessly charged at the Founder.
And in that instant—
For the first time ever, my eyes caught sight of one of his sword strikes.
It was an utterly simple attack.
A horizontal slash from left to right, slicing through the blind spot in my vision.
Swish!
However, I only saw it, and once again, I collapsed.
But I clenched my fist.
"It's fine."
Once becomes twice, and twice becomes thrice.
As soon as I got up, I started moving.
Bang!
How much time had passed?
At last, I managed to block the Ancestor's strike.
Before I knew it, my movements had become as monotonous as the Ancestor's.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak!
For the first time, I dodged the Ancestor's sword.
Bang!
For the first time, I blocked the second strike.
From then on, I blocked the third, then the fourth, and finally, I even succeeded in counterattacking.
Slowly, at some point, I was fighting on equal footing with the Ancestor.
Before I knew it, the tip of the Ancestor's sword was imbued with aura—and so was mine.
Whoosh!
And the moment I reached that point, my movements changed once more.
'My unique combat style is about unpredictability and freedom.'
The Ancestor's sword follows the fundamentals.
It follows the path of a sword that has reached the pinnacle of orthodoxy.
That is not the essence I need to pursue.
I had to master all weapons and build a foundation that could support all techniques without wavering.
Hwaak! Bang! Swoosh!
For a brief moment, my movements had become simple, but now they were growing complex and diverse again.
Yet, when examined individually, each movement was firmly grounded in the basics.
Unrestrained, ever-changing as needed, yet never straying from the fundamentals.
Bang! Clang!
The explosive sound that rang out was different from all the clashes before.
The Ancestor of the Sumuiga.
The colossal wall named Lee Hyul-hyun.
The sound came from that wall.
'No, that's not it.'
Only then did I realize the true purpose of Bloodless Dream.
Those who had given up thought only of defeating the Ancestor.
That's why they despaired in front of the overwhelming wall that was Lee Hyul-hyun.
'But that's not the purpose of Bloodless Dream. That's not how it should be done.'
The wall had to be broken with precision and persistence.
But that wall was not the Ancestor.
It was me.
Breaking and shattering myself endlessly, forging an unshakable foundation.
Kwaaang!
And so, I began to look at the Ancestor at eye level.
Before I knew it, I was no longer being pushed back, nor was the Ancestor.
Now that the struggle had ended—
All that remained was victory.
Standing at the same height meant I had to look one step higher to claim victory.
'What I have.'
Something the Ancestor didn't possess—something only I had.
—"Your talent for magic is extraordinary. To the point where everything else pales in comparison."
A remark my aunt once made resurfaced in my mind.
Something uniquely mine, something no one else had.
The unmatched potential of my magical power.
"Haaaah!"
Rumble!
My aura, once formless, had sharpened into a single, keen blade, and at its tip, a storm-like aura condensed.
Kang Gi Gong—Sakpung.
The Ancestor's unfocused eyes locked onto me.
A razor-sharp blade of aura cut forward without hesitation.
Swoosh—.
And then—
The wall crumbled.
***
Thud—.
The mountain guardian, who had been drinking in his quarters, felt an unusual tremor.
Thud, thud—.
It was a sound like a collapsing wall.
'Something happened in the mountains… No way.'
The guardian sprang up in alarm.
Immediately casting a spell, he rushed toward the stone gate.
Creak—.
The stone gate scraped against the ground, making a piercing sound.
And from within, a figure emerged.
"Huh…."
The guardian's eyes widened.
It was Lee Cheol.
In the end, that brat had passed the trial.
***
I passed through the stone gate and headed toward the healing spring.
Actually, there wasn't a single injury on my body.
Since the battle had only taken place within an illusion, it was impossible for my body to have been hurt. But at that moment, what I desperately needed was mental rest.
"How was it?"
The mountain keeper had followed me after all. He didn't enter the hot spring but instead sat on a nearby rock by my head.
He took a few gulps of canned beer and smirked.
'How was it, huh?'
I couldn't find the words to describe it.
"To be honest, I never want to do that again."
Win or lose, it was an experience I never wanted to relive.
The founder of the Sungmu School, Lee Hyul-hyeon.
He was overwhelmingly strong—to the point of despair.
"Hmm… You don't seem any different from when you went in. Are you sure you took the trial properly?"
"What, do you think I just zoned out the whole time?"
"No, it's just… Weird. Usually, the ones who come out of that stone gate have fish-like, lifeless eyes. It's like… something about them changes. Most of them have their arrogance shattered."
Shattered arrogance?
Would there be any reason for that unless someone completely gave up?
'Did everyone find different answers?'
After all, the founder was nothing more than a recreated existence. He never said anything or demanded anything.
The realization I had gained was mine alone.
"…By the way, do you happen to know how my father fared?"
"Your father? You mean Taeshin?"
"Yes."
"Keuhaha! So, you're curious about your old man after all? Hmm… Like father, like son, huh? I guess there are some similarities…"
The mountain keeper suddenly tilted his head as if deep in thought, then started chuckling as if he had remembered something amusing.
"What is it?"
"Do you know what that guy said the moment he came out?"
The mountain keeper cracked open another beer, then lowered his voice dramatically.
"'Training is over. I will take my leave now. Thank you for your guidance.'"
"…Were you trying to mimic my father?"
"Huh? Didn't it sound exactly like him?"
"Not at all."
"You cheeky brat. Anyway, he was weird too. He didn't change a bit from when he went in to when he came out! Like he just went out for a casual stroll—his face didn't even twitch!"
I submerged myself deeper into the water and thought about my father when he was my age.
'That's just like him.'
Honestly, if my father had come out of there with his personality altered, that would've been even stranger.
"In any case, you've done something truly insane, kid."
Kyaaah-
The mountain keeper downed his beer in one shot, sighed in admiration, and spoke again.
"What do you mean?"
"You're the youngest person in history to pass the Bloodless Dream trial."
His words didn't stir any particular emotions in me.
'It wasn't a test where doing it faster meant anything.'
It wasn't an achievement or anything worth boasting about.
In reality, in the Bloodless Dream, being one or two years younger or older didn't make much difference.
"But, mountain keeper. I was inside for nearly a month. Why is my body completely fine?"
I hadn't noticed it right away, but it seemed I had spent almost an entire month in the Bloodless Dream.
I hadn't eaten or moved, yet my body showed no signs of weakness.
"That's because time in there is practically frozen."
The mountain keeper wiggled a piece of dried squid in his hand.
"Think of it as a completely separate space. You know the legend of Shangri-La?"
"…Yes, I've heard of it."
"Then don't overthink it. Just assume it's something similar."
This drunkard…
I sighed deeply and nodded.
"Yes, I understand."
"So, what will you do with the remaining month or so?"
"I'm going to organize what I've learned."
"Ugh, you training-obsessed lunatic. You're going to train again?"
"No. I plan to take a little break while organizing my thoughts."
At my words, the mountain keeper blinked.
"This brat… I thought you hadn't changed, but I guess you did. Are you sick? Did that place mess with your head? Guess everyone who goes in there does turn weird after all."
"…Never mind that. By the way, mountain keeper."
My business in Tianwei Mountain was finished.
But now that I thought about it, there was still something left unsettled.
"It's time for me to claim my reward."
"Reward? What reward?"
The mountain keeper flinched.
"Don't play dumb. I think it's time for me to collect the reward we talked about last time."
"What?"
The mountain keeper furrowed his brows deeply.
When my elixir was stolen by a spirit beast, I had negotiated for two rewards.
The first was receiving training assistance.
The second was something I would receive if I managed to pass the Bloodless Dream and emerge from the stone gate.
"Hey, listen… That's…"
"A promise is a promise, mountain keeper."
The mountain keeper trembled slightly and clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Damn it. Fine! A promise is a promise! I'll give it to you, but it's pointless! You won't be able to do anything with it anyway!"
Muttering complaints, the mountain keeper reached into thin air.
Wooong—
The air distorted and wavered as something appeared in his grasp.
An oni's club.
That was the reward I had requested from the mountain keeper.
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