Chapter 20: Seven Heavens Sword

Hhhhssssssss!

 

An hour had passed since Thomas was left alone in the Transcendental path to increase his internal energy further, and in that time Thomas spent half of it thinking to himself about his Grandpa’s final words to him.

 

Hoooooooooooo!

 

However, during the second half of that hour, Thomas sat motionless while focusing on the Foundations of Heaven and Earth.

 

Hhhhssssssss!

 

Yet through that half an hour of cultivation.

 

‘Still no progress…..’ 

 

Hoooooooooooo!

 

‘The Foundations of Heaven and Earth doesn’t seem to work here, Grandpa must have known that, so why did he leave me alone here?’

 

Hhhhssssssss!

 

‘What even is this world? It’s completely blank aside from the stars illuminating the sky.’

 

Hoooooooooooo!

 

‘And now that I’m thinking about it, once mom and Grandpa left, the stars in the sky decreased. Are they related to how much experience with the Transcendental path I have?’

 

Hhhhssssssss!

 

Hoooooooooooo!

 

‘Screw this, I’m not getting anything done trying to continue cultivating when it doesn’t work here.’ Thomas thought as he stood up off the ground.

 

After looking around the blank world for a few minutes, Thomas decided to explore the Transcendental path to see if it was truly blank.

 

“There has to be something here. Another person, some sort of structure, something has to be here.”

 

However, after ten minutes of walking across the seamlessly empty world. 

 

Drip!

 

‘Huh?’ Thomas thought to himself as he watched a drop of water rise in front of him.

 

Drip!

 

“Wait…. Water?” Thomas said to himself as he looked up to see where the water was rising too.

 

However, Thomas was shocked to see a pool of crystal clear water above him dripping down onto the ground.

 

Drip!

“How is that pool of water staying afloat like that? Wait, how did I not notice it until now?”

 

After standing in silence for a moment while staring into the pool of water, Thomas crouched down and prepared to jump.

 

‘Well, here goes nothing.’ Thomas thought as he jumped off the ground and into the pool, sending a ripple throughout the water as his head breached its surface.

 

As Thomas’s body was completely submerged into the pool of water, a sudden pressure overwhelmed him as if he was being crushed by the water surrounding him.

 

Yet when Thomas opened his mouth to groan from the pain, only bubbles escaped his mouth.

 

Realizing that he would run out of air alongside the unexpected pressure from the water, Thomas forced himself downwards to escape the same way he came in.

 

Thunk!

 

‘Huh?’ Thomas thought to himself as he looked down only to see his feet standing upon solid ground.

 

After kicking the ground he now stood upon, Thomas realized that the path of which he entered the pool of water was now gone.

 

‘I have to swim up, that’s the only way out!’ Thomas thought to himself as he prepared to jump once more.

 

Looking up after pushing himself off what he thought was the bottom of the pool, Thomas noticed a pocket of air above him as his speed slowly decreased.

 

‘Just a little bit further…..’ Thomas thought as he slowly swam up to the pocket of air.

 

However, just as Thomas reached the pocket of air.

 

Fsshhhhh!

 

“Ahhhhhhhhh!”

 

Thud!

 

Chirp! Chirp!

 

“Cough, cough…… The hell? Where am I….  and where did the pool of water go?”

 

After catching his breath, Thomas stood up and started scanning his surroundings, only to be surprised by the sight that met him.

 

“An open field? Wait a second! This is the same field that I woke up to when I first entered the memories!” Thomas exclaimed after he turned around and was met with a giant tree. 

 

Yet even though he knew where he was, something in the distance began to annoy him.

 

“What is that over there?” Thomas asked himself as he squinted at a moving figure in the grass filled horizon. 

As Thomas started walking towards the moving figure in the horizon, he began to notice more about the figures movements the closer he got.

 

‘So they’re swinging a sword instead of just moving? Maybe they’re practicing a martial arts technique?”

 

Yet as Thomas stepped within fifteen meters of the moving figure.

 

Swish!

 

Klang!

 

“Kaukkkk!”

 

As Thomas stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed the man collapse to the ground and begin coughing up blood, he could only wonder what or who had caused it.

 

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“He wasn’t practicing his sword technique against anything or anyone….. So how did he even hurt himself?” Thomas muttered to himself in disbelief.

 

“I WAS fighting against someone…. Cough…. You just…. Weren’t paying enough attention…..” The man said before slowly looking up at Thomas.

 

“Wait, you heard me?!”

 

“I did, I also knew you were walking up to me since you started coughing by that tree over there. So tell me, how did you arrive at this place?” The man asked as he picked up his sword and slid it into its sheath.

 

“Well before I answer that, where are we?”

 

“Where are we? You’re asking such a stupid question when you already know where we are. Now I’ll ask again, who are you and how did you arrive at this place?”

 

“So we’re still in the Transcendental path? Well saying that I didn’t wake back up in the car that makes sense. Still this place is really confusing ....” Thomas muttered to himself while unintentionally ignoring the unknown man.

 

Shiiiiing!

 

“You must have a death wish, boy.”

 

“Huh?” Thomas asked as he looked back at the man.

 

Yet when Thomas locked eyes with the man he realized that the man he was speaking to was not one to be trifled with, as the man’s glowing white sword laid motionless just before Thomas’s neck.

 

“I will not repeat myself again. Who are you, and how did you arrive here?”

 

Gulp!

 

“You must really want to die then!” Said the man as he drew his sword back and began to thrust it at Thomas’s neck.

 

“Wait! My name is Thomas Smith and I arrived here through a really weird pool of water!” Thomas exclaimed as he closed his eyes, hoping that the man would stop his sword in time.

 

Clack!

 

Slowly opening his eyes as he heard the man slide his sword back into his sheath, Thomas let out a sigh of relief as he dropped to the ground.

 

Thud!

 

“Next time don’t test me, boy. When I ask you a question you will answer it, when I tell you to do something you will do it. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes…. Sir…..” 

 

“Now that we’re on the same page, you arrived here through the Reverse Heaven Pool did you? Water was flowing upwards from the ground into a pool of water above you right?”

 

“Your description is accurate sir. But, how did you know about the ‘Reverse Heaven Pool’ as you call it?”

 

“That isn’t of importance, what matters now is that you have arrived here through the toughest method of arrival. So you will now commence training with me until I deem you fit to leave.”

 

“What about my life outside of the Transcendental path sir? I have other things I still need to do.”

 

“You will be able to take care of the ‘other things’ you still need to do outside of the Transcendental path. I’m just going to make it to where instead of the memories, you come straight here.”

 

“So instead of going into the memories to train…. I’ll be coming straight here to train with you?”

 

“Exactly, and you needn't worry about having a weapon or anything else to help you train, I will be providing those to you to help you learn. But the weapon I give you will not go with you into the memories, so if you wish to continue using it you will have to learn to forge it for yourself.”

 

“Thank you sir! Now if I may ask, what are you going to be teaching me?”

 

“This.” Said the man as he unsheathed his sword once more and began to inhale.

 

Shiiiing!

 

Hhhhssssssss!

 

“Watch closely Thomas, the Seven Heavens Sword is not a technique to be taken lightly!”

 

Swish!

 

Fwip!

 

As Thomas watched the man perform the first form of the Seven Heavens Sword technique, he noticed something strange about the area his sword was slashing.

 

‘There seems to be…. A person there?!?’

 

Klang!

 

Swish!

 

Krack!

 

KLANG!

 

Watching as the man continued to fight the weird yet humanlike presence with the Seven Heavens Sword technique in awe, Thomas began to focus on the man’s movements themselves rather than the humanlike presence or the sword coming into contact with the presence’s weapon.

 

Thud!

 

Yet as Thomas’s eyes finally were able to see every movement the man made as he swung the sword, the man delivered a final strike to the humanlike presence with a graceful and slow slash across the chest.

 

“That…. I…. I’m going to be learning that technique?” Thomas asked in awe as he looked back up at the man’s face.

 

“You will be learning how to use the first through seventh forms of the Seven Heavens Sword technique from me. That was the first technique, which you will begin learning how to use the next time you return here.”

 

“Wait, next time? Why next time? I want to learn that technique now!”

 

“Unfortunately, it seems that we, or rather your real body, has a visitor and will be waking up soon.” The man said as he turned around and started walking into the distance.

 

Thud!

 

“Aghhhhhhhhh!” Thomas groaned as a headache ran through his brain.

 

“I will see you soon, Thomas.”

 

“Wait sir! Before I leave…. What is your name?”

 

Stopping in his tracks as he heard Thomas’s question, the man turned around halfway and stared into Thomas’s shaking eyes.

 

“Myeol Mang.”

 

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