CLS-Chapter 653

Chapter 653:

‘It really doesn’t seem helpful, and yet……’

This formlessness was different from the previous formlessness.

Though both were invisible and imperceptible, they differed subtly in the details.

But still……

No matter how different the two formless techniques were from each other, having experienced formlessness once before was certainly helpful. That couldn’t be denied.

‘He won’t even let me get annoyed as I please.’

Baek Mu-han had said that he had prepared Wei Yan-ho to handle every situation, every martial art. Those words had never once been wrong.

While feeling his master’s greatness, anxiety crept in—would he spend his entire life unable to escape the path his master had laid out for him?

‘How relaxed of me.’

Wei Yan-ho collected himself.

Even with the Formless Sword bearing down on him, being able to think of other things—was this because he had room to spare, or was his tension dropping because he couldn’t see or feel anything?

It was neither.

Wei Yan-ho’s sword extended forward.

Raising his sword to aim precisely ahead, Wei Yan-ho kept his eyes tightly closed. He simply kept his eyes closed and quietly opened his senses.

This wasn’t bluffing.

Even if he opened his eyes, there was nothing to see anyway. When facing a sword that couldn’t be grasped even by qi sense, what the eyes could see would only be a hindrance.

He felt nothing.

It had disappeared.

He felt everything.

The qi of those surrounding them. The intense emotions they were radiating, the cold wind brushing past his skin, and even each blade of grass growing on the ground swaying……

All of it was being perfectly and completely captured by Wei Yan-ho’s senses.

But among all of this, only Baek Gong-do’s presence couldn’t be grasped.

Formlessness.

This didn’t simply mean that the form wasn’t visible.

It was as if Baek Gong-do’s existence had vanished from this place. Though that was impossible, his senses were telling him exactly that.

As if his very existence had returned to nothingness.

His skin bristled all at once.

He could feel nothing. Even that existence itself was unknowable. But Baek Gong-do definitely existed here.

Perfect harmony.

He had truly melted into nature.

How could one counter a sword flying in such a state?

Moreover, Baek Gong-do’s current sword would certainly be stronger than any before. It had been difficult enough to block a visible sword, but now he had to block an even stronger sword that was neither visible nor perceptible?

‘This is really too much, no matter how you look at it.’

He could understand why the Formless Sword was called the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

This transcended form.

That’s what melting in meant. All swords followed certain flows. The reason one could predict what came next in swordsmanship was because there was a consistent flow in the preceding sword techniques.

But a sword that couldn’t be seen or felt was free from such flows.

An Illusion Sword could burst forth right before his eyes, a Change Sword could flow out, or a Defeat Sword could take aim.

‘Ten Thousand Swords……’

He understood.

Why formlessness was the completed form of Ten Thousand Swords.

If someone else had reached the realm of the Formless Sword, he wouldn’t have felt this way. No matter how invisible and imperceptible, he could clearly predict what kind of attack would come.

But Baek Gong-do was different.

His sword contained all the sword techniques under heaven. That’s why he couldn’t get any sense of which sword might suddenly emerge. Baek Gong-do had been incredibly strong even without reaching the realm of formlessness. And now Baek Gong-do has ascended to the realm of formlessness.

Invincible.

Unrivaled under heaven.

Anyone would inevitably think those words.

But Wei Yan-ho didn’t waver.

Invisible. Imperceptible.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t ‘exist.’

‘You don’t understand.’

It was meaningless.

No matter how much he entered formlessness, no matter how much stronger Ten Thousand Swords became, the fundamentals didn’t change. Becoming stronger and more excellent didn’t make it more ‘complete.’

From the moment one aimed for a perfect and complete sword, Ten Thousand Swords had already failed as a sword technique.

Wei Yan-ho slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes had sunk low. Not a trace of wavering, not a trace of emotion could be seen.

With eyes cold beyond measure watching the front, Wei Yan-ho’s sword trembled slightly.

No, it didn’t tremble.

Slowly, very slowly, as if moving yet not moving.

Stillness within motion.

There was movement in the sword tip that didn’t move.

A sword that existed yet didn’t exist, and a sword that moved yet didn’t move.

These contradictory swords faced each other.

And in an instant.

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes flashed.

“I told you it was meaningless.”

Light.

A small light appeared at Wei Yan-ho’s sword tip.

The light spread out. To every place it could reach. Nothing in the world could avoid light. Darkness only made light shine brighter.

The tiny light gradually grew larger.

And then……

It covered the entire world.

Quietly.

What would a world filled with dazzling light look like?

The world was becoming nothingness.

A world filled with light was touching upon a world where nothing existed.

The infinitely brilliant light erased everything in the world.

What then revealed itself was an endlessly spread white world—a world where all boundaries had crumbled and everything had disappeared.

Before this, neither formless nor formed had any meaning.

Baek Gong-do’s eyes widened as he saw the dazzling light reaching toward him.

‘What is this?’

His sword was a sword of formlessness.

After agonizing and agonizing again, training and training more, he had barely reached this realm.

A realm he had reached by abandoning everything of himself and forcing himself to assimilate into the world.

But this was a perfect sword of formlessness.

It was revealing its presence to the entire world. If his sword was one that melted into the world, this sword was one that melted the world itself. It erased everything.

What was visible, what was audible, and even what could be felt—it erased it all.

‘This sword is……’

He could understand.

His sword was one that melted into the world. But if the world into which he was to melt disappeared, it would become meaningless. He could melt into anything in the world, but he couldn’t melt into Wei Yan-ho’s sword alone.

It was perfect.

His sword was perfect.

But it also couldn’t be perfect.

To be confident that he could melt into anything in the world, he would have to be able to melt into his opponent’s sword as well. But Wei Yan-ho’s sword always changed and transcended his common sense.

The concept of perfection he had created was shattering at the tip of Wei Yan-ho’s sword.

What remained was only a pitiful sword that had lost its perfection.

But what about Wei Yan-ho?

His sword was complete in itself.

It didn’t depend on the world.

Therefore, it wasn’t shaken by any change.

A sword that was never shaken.

A human sword.

And a sword filled with light.

‘Th-this is?’

He had a memory of hearing about it.

In stories, in legends, and in myths.

A sword he had heard about until his ears were worn out, yet never dared to attempt.

Yes, it was the Sword Emperor’s sword.

One who was born from Ten Thousand Swords but took a different path from Ten Thousand Swords.

When everyone followed the path of Ten Thousand Swords, this one alone broke away from Ten Thousand Swords and instead surpassed Ten Thousand Swords.

That sword was so great, so brilliant, that no one dared to follow it.

That sword……

Was now before Baek Gong-do’s eyes.

‘So that’s how it was.’

Though his mind couldn’t understand, his soul had understood. Why Wei Yan-ho was so strong, how he could surpass even him.

But that was……

That was too……

The brilliant light struck him.

Neither his sword, nor his body, nor even his soul could overcome the light that filled the world.

The light that had covered the world disappeared as if it had been an illusion.

Only quietness remained.

In the center of the world that had returned to normal with the light’s disappearance, Wei Yan-ho and Baek Gong-do stood facing each other.

Wei Yan-ho’s appearance hadn’t changed much from the beginning. Except for the fact that his sword was hanging down.

But Baek Gong-do’s appearance was certainly different from the beginning.

His beloved sword was broken in half, and his clothes were torn to shreds.

Though no physical wounds were visible, his pale complexion revealed that he had suffered serious internal injuries.

Dark red blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

“This sword is……”

Baek Gong-do slightly opened his mouth then closed it again.

He had to ask something.

But where should he start asking?

After pondering and pondering, Baek Gong-do soon figured out what he should ask first.

“Why did I lose?”

“Because you’re weak.”

“Weak?”

“Yes.”

Wei Yan-ho answered matter-of-factly.

“……You’re saying I’m weak?”

From Baek Gong-do’s perspective, it was an answer he absolutely couldn’t accept. He had always been strong. He had been strong since birth, and he was strong even at this moment.

But to say he was weak.

“It might sound a bit strange, but it’s the truth.”

“……Why?”

“Among the things my master told me, I think this saying would fit you perfectly, sir.”

Baek Gong-do quietly waited for Wei Yan-ho’s words.

“Don’t become obsessed with the sword.”

“……”

A look of puzzlement appeared in Baek Gong-do’s eyes.

“Don’t become obsessed?”

“Yes. That’s it. Ah, if I relay master’s words exactly, it goes like this. Master’s way of speaking is a bit harsh…… This isn’t something I can tone down appropriately, so please don’t think I’m being insolent and just listen. So master said……”

Wei Yan-ho took a slight deep breath and continued.

“You don’t need to listen to a single word from those idiots talking about sword-man unity, man-sword unity, assimilation, immersion, or the sword being attached to the arm.”

“……”

Baek Gong-do’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

“A sword is a sword, just a piece of metal. But those who claim to learn swordsmanship act as if there’s something great about the sword itself.”

“……”

“A sword is merely one method of achieving martial arts. There’s no need to become obsessed with the sword itself. What you need to achieve isn’t perfect sword handling, but becoming stronger. If you meet Buddha, kill Buddha; if you meet a patriarch, kill the patriarch. Don’t revere anything as truth. If you’re stronger, that’s enough.”

Baek Gong-do couldn’t say anything.

A shock like being struck by lightning shook him.

“Well, master’s words aren’t all correct, but roughly like that. Master said that even if a common spearman perfectly mastered spear techniques, he couldn’t block cannons. The important thing isn’t to perfectly master spear techniques, but to become strong enough to block cannons.”

“……”

“I don’t know whether formlessness is a perfect sword or not. But there’s nothing difficult about dealing with it. Just crush it with stronger power. If I dominate all the ranges and areas where you can extend with stronger power, then it doesn’t matter whether it’s formless or formed.”

“Hah……”

Baek Gong-do’s face flushed.

All kinds of emotional residue passed across his face. Having overcome, accepted, and understood all those emotions, Baek Gong-do finally opened his mouth with a peaceful expression.

“I……”

Hesitation.

Trembling.

But soon followed by acceptance.

“I have lost.”

It was the moment the match ended.