CLS-Chapter 652

Chapter 652:

Do you know what the Formless Sword is?

You know?

What do you know?

Of course, you’ve heard the name. And you might have a vague idea of what level of mastery it represents.

But that’s just a concept.

Listen here.

Even those who know nothing about martial arts have heard of lightness techniques and inner force. But does that mean they truly know what inner force is?

Of course not.

Right, just hearing about something and knowing it superficially cannot be called truly ‘knowing’ it.

The Formless Sword is exactly like that.

You’ve heard of it. You roughly know what a high and sublime level it is.

But no one knows just how powerful it really is, how strong it is, how high one must climb to reach such a realm.

Why?

Because no one has ever reached it.

In the history of the martial world, not a single person has achieved the Formless Sword with their own hands. The fact that this realm called the Formless Sword spread from mouth to mouth is nothing special.

It’s just that the grandmasters of their era said ‘If I were to go beyond my current level and advance further, I would reach the realm of the Formless Sword,’ and that spread around, making it accepted as a naturally existing realm.

Huh?

How could those who hadn’t reached it know?

What a foolish fellow.

Think about throwing a stone. At first, you could throw it about thirty zhang. But with training, that would extend to a hundred zhang. Then it would become two hundred, three hundred zhang.

But can a person actually throw a stone three hundred zhang?

Impossible.

But I know that if my strength becomes greater here, the stone will fly beyond three hundred zhang.

It’s the same principle.

Even if it’s a place I haven’t reached, by walking that path, I can vaguely understand where I’m heading.

Huh?

No. That’s not it.

Hey, that’s not what I’m saying.

Of course the Formless Sword is the supreme realm. A realm no one in martial history has reached. But that doesn’t mean Dan-cheon has entered the realm of the Greatest Sword Under Heaven.

Because the Formless Sword is just one of countless realms that exist at the end of swordsmanship.

For example, the Sword Emperor didn’t enter the realm of the Formless Sword, but isn’t he strong enough to devour that Formless Sword?

But unless you’re someone like the Sword Emperor, it’s definitely a realm you couldn’t even dream of reaching.

Huh?

How was it when you saw the Formless Sword with your eyes?

……What did I see? I couldn’t see anything.

It’s the Formless Sword! If it were visible to the eye, how could it have the name ‘formless’?

Uh…… Hmm.

Right, well.

There were countless people there, and everyone realized that the Formless Sword was being displayed before their eyes, but not one person properly saw what it was. They were just blind with open eyes.

But there’s nothing wrong with that. They couldn’t see it because they lacked the ability, so it couldn’t be helped.

Anyway, everyone lost their motivation seeing that supreme realm displayed before their eyes.

How could they beat that?

It’s like leading soldiers to the battlefield for the first time with dreams of glory, only to see some sickly-looking middle-aged man coming from across the way in a carriage. Waving a feather fan lazily.

Would that inspire any motivation?

So everyone nearly gave up at that moment. Even I, when I saw…… no, felt it, desperately prayed that Wei Yan-ho would at least preserve his life.

But this damned bastard.

Huh……

That. Wow…… That.

He blocked it. I really thought he was insane.

***

Nothing was visible.

He couldn’t see anything.

‘Is it formless?’

Wei Yan-ho was feeling the massive energy rushing toward him.

But that sensation couldn’t expand beyond ‘feeling.’ He could clearly sense that something was there, that something was approaching, but even with his sharp senses, he couldn’t grasp what was coming at him or how.

Truly formless.

This was contradictory.

This energy definitely existed. But it didn’t exist.

Existence and absence coexisted.

‘This is really ridiculous.’

It was absurd to the point of being laughable.

Just moments ago, Baek Gong-do had definitely not achieved the Formless Sword. Who would have thought he’d take one more step forward in the middle of battle? While gaining enlightenment and advancing to a higher realm during combat wasn’t particularly rare, for it to happen right here and now.

It was a moment that made him want to protest vehemently to Heaven.

But crying about it wouldn’t change anything.

Though his thoughts had accelerated and the world was flowing slowly, if he just sat here doing nothing, that invisible energy would surely sever Wei Yan-ho’s neck.

Then?

The image of one person rose in Wei Yan-ho’s mind.

Whenever he faced a crisis, Baek Mu-han would inevitably come to mind. And his words would come to mind.

It was no exaggeration to say that Baek Mu-han had left everything to him.

Wei Yan-ho closed his eyes slightly.

“Formless Sword.”

“Yes.”

“Why is that?”

“I heard it’s incredibly powerful?”

Baek Mu-han looked down at Wei Yan-ho with pitying eyes.

Wei Yan-ho thought that perhaps his master’s greatest talent wasn’t swordsmanship but making people angry. Anyone receiving that look would unfold their meditation posture and rise to fight with his master.

“I sometimes wonder.”

“Yes?”

“What’s the difference between you and a monkey?”

“……”

Baek Mu-han clicked his tongue.

“A human should be able to think, and if they can think, they should be able to find answers. But are you really human? Are you human? The dog I used to raise would be smarter than you.”

“Why are you being like this! I was called a prodigy when I was young!”

“If humans haven’t turned into monkeys during the three hundred years I was absent, that would never happen. You, a prodigy? Pfft!”

Wei Yan-ho trembled with anger.

But what could he do?

Wei Yan-ho had never once defeated Baek Mu-han in logic.

Physical force?

That goes without saying.

But there was no need to win in logic. The method to get the answer he wanted from his master was very simple.

“Actually, Master doesn’t know either, right?”

“……What did you say?”

Wei Yan-ho smirked.

“I understand. Master has never directly faced the Formless Sword either. How could you deal with a realm you haven’t……”

THWACK!

“AAAAAAACK!“

Wei Yan-ho grabbed his head and rolled on the ground. Today’s flick was different in intensity from usual. Getting hit once felt like his skull was flying off.

“What if you killed me by hitting that hard!”

“It would be nice if you died.”

Baek Mu-han smacked his lips regretfully.

“A wicked disciple who tries to mock his master deserves to die from a beating.”

“Ughhh.”

Wei Yan-ho, clutching his head, squeezed out tears.

“This guy is mocking his master?”

“It’s because you won’t teach me!”

“What business do you have facing the Formless Sword!”

“You never know what might happen in this world!”

“How dare you talk back!”

As Baek Mu-han raised his hand, Wei Yan-ho quickly scooted backward from his sitting position.

“Tsk.”

What to do with this pathetic disciple?

After sighing, Baek Mu-han opened his mouth.

“What is the Formless Sword to begin with?”

“An invisible sword?”

Is this guy really a monkey?

To wait three hundred years only to meet such a disciple. Heaven is truly heartless.

“Can’t you block something just because you can’t see it?”

“……I can block it.”

“Then what’s the problem with something being invisible?”

“Oh? That’s right?”

Baek Mu-han shook his head in defeat.

“The Formless Sword is like this.”

Baek Mu-han extended his hand forward.

“Huh?”

THWACK!

Feeling intense pain in his head, Wei Yan-ho rolled on the ground again. After groaning for a while, Wei Yan-ho jumped up and shouted.

“You could just explain with words! With words!”

“Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times, and doing once is better than seeing a hundred times. There’s nothing more certain than experiencing it with your body.”

That was certainly true.

After getting hit once, he seemed to understand clearly. How absurd this sword principle was.

“This is the Formless Sword?”

“No, this isn’t the Formless Sword.”

“What?”

“I just imitated it roughly. I use a sword that’s closer to coercion than harmony. I cannot reach formlessness.”

“Huh? What does that mean? There are things even Master can’t do?”

“……It’s not that I can’t.”

Baek Mu-han stroked his beard.

“What do you think would happen if I used a spear?”

“……You’d be invincible.”

“Right. Even with a spear, I’m strong. I’m strong barehanded too. I’m strong no matter what I do.”

These were undeniable facts.

“But I’m not as good as when I use a sword. If I wanted to reach formlessness, I’d need at least a month of training. But is there any need for that? Even without learning the Formless Sword, I’m stronger than that.”

“Looking at Master, I think I understand.”

“What?”

“Why people who speak the truth die young. I know it’s the right thing to say, but it’s really irritating.”

“That sounds like the truth too, so you must want to die young as well.”

Wei Yan-ho shut his mouth.

In this world, only Baek Mu-han could make Wei Yan-ho close his mouth.

“Tsk.”

Baek Mu-han clicked his tongue and continued.

“The Formless Sword isn’t anything that great. The Formless Sword is the extreme of harmony. A sword that becomes too similar to nature becomes nature itself.”

“You said before that humans are nature itself.”

“There are countless swords in the world—how could all their principles be the same? I chose to polish the human sword to its extreme, but there are also swords that try to resemble nature’s sword. You can’t necessarily say the direction is wrong. It’s a matter of interpretation.”

“Then that side is right too?”

“No.”

“……”

Wei Yan-ho sometimes wondered if Baek Mu-han knew what he was saying. Whether he really thought before speaking, or just said whatever came out……

“You can’t say the thinking is wrong. But I can prove that I’m more right.”

“How?”

“By smashing it.”

“……”

“So when you meet someone who has achieved the Formless Sword in the future, you must give them a proper beating. Prove that the sword of Mad Sword Baek Mu-han is incomparable to something like the Formless Sword.”

“But how do I win?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, pathetic fool. You don’t understand even when I show you.”

“What?”

“Hey, you fool. Do I exist or do I not exist?”

“……Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes widened.

Formless yet formed. Formed yet formless.

That existence was right before Wei Yan-ho’s eyes.

“Others might need to worry about something called the Formless Sword. But you don’t need to worry at all. Haven’t you been fighting against the formless all along?”

“……”

“What’s so special about the Formless Sword? When I kill my presence, that’s the Formless Sword.”

“Wow, this logic is……”

Mind-blowing, really.

“Worried about the Formless Sword? Don’t worry. I was planning to kill even my presence and spar with you from today anyway.”

“……No, Master.”

“Come on, let’s begin. I’ll show you exactly what formlessness is. Here I come, you fool!”

“Hiiiiiiick!“

Baek Mu-han’s form disappeared from that spot.

And that day, he got beaten three times more than usual.