95. A True Master
“Berdian, the heart technique I’m going to teach you is called the Flowing Cloud Heart Technique (Ryuun Shimbeop).”
I can’t teach you the Cheonrang Divine Skill.
It’s too difficult for Berdian to learn.
Of the heart techniques Sirius could teach, the Flowing Cloud Heart Technique was the most suitable.
“This heart technique has a very gentle nature.”
“Gentle……”
“Gentle doesn’t mean weak. It means that you’ll be able to remove all useless strength and control your energy as smoothly as flowing water.”
Sirius explained slowly to Berdian.
“If you master the Flowing Cloud Heart Technique, you’ll be able to maintain the Flowing Cloud True Energy (Ryuun Jin-gi) in your body. This will not only protect your body but also allow you to move more nimbly.”
“…….”
“Berdian, you have a body that can improve your physical abilities by flowing magic power through your limbs. If you use the Flowing Cloud True Energy, your body movements will be even better than when using magic power.”
The reason Berdian has such a body is because the Poison Lord tampered with Berdian’s body.
Sirius intended to make the most of Berdian’s constitution.
“If you understand the Flowing Cloud Heart Technique properly, you can master it very quickly. You’ll be able to get started in no time.”
While researching elixirs with Berdian, he realized one thing.
And that was that Berdian was a very intelligent guy.
There’s a saying that if you teach him one thing, he’ll know ten, and Berdian was exactly that kind of guy.
Well, he must have survived under the Poison Lord because he had such an outstanding mind.
“I’ll explain it to you step by step. Learn it well.”
“Yes, Sir Sirius.”
Berdian had already made up his mind.
To Sirius, who was listening with the attitude of a disciple, Sirius began to explain slowly.
* * *
After finishing today’s lesson, Sirius went outside the building.
It was late at night, so there was no one on the street.
“Sirius.”
At that moment, a voice came from above his head.
Sirius looked up to see Hwanwang looking down from the rooftop.
“You’re neglecting your security. Didn’t I hear everything?”
“I knew.”
Sirius replied in an indifferent voice.
Hwanwang had also been eavesdropping when Sirius had explained the concept of internal energy to Berdian, but Sirius didn’t mind.
“Hmm.”
Hwanwang came down from the rooftop.
“As expected, the power you wield isn’t ordinary magic. Martial arts… From which ancient books did you learn such a thing?”
“……”
“That Flowing Cloud Heart Sutra you taught Berdian today, can I learn it too?”
Sirius shook his head at Emperor Hwan’s question.
“It will be difficult.”
“I suppose so…”
Berdian is in a state of having lost his circles.
That’s why there are no obstacles when accumulating internal energy in his dantian.
However, Emperor Hwan possesses the magic power of nine whole circles.
The nine circles present in his body can’t help but interfere with the circulation of internal energy.
“Then how can I use martial arts?”
“The quickest way would be to destroy the circles.”
Sirius said in a composed voice.
“Then I will accept you as my disciple and teach you the profound truths of internal energy.”
“Tch, nonsense.”
Emperor Hwan clicked his tongue.
“I don’t want to become a disciple, and I hate the idea of destroying the circles even more.”
“Then there is no other way.”
Is there a method to gain internal energy while maintaining the circles?
This is a question that even Sirius finds hard to answer definitively.
He’ll probably need to invest time in research to come to a conclusion… but right now, there are other things that take priority.
“Think about it yourself for now.”
“Me, think about it?”
“Yes, how to use martial arts with your current body.”
“……”
Emperor Hwan is a great magus of nine circles.
His knowledge of circles and magic power is incomparable to Sirius’.
That’s why it would be better to leave this kind of research to Emperor Hwan.
“Hey, Sirius.”
Emperor Hwan looked at Sirius and asked,
“What would you do if I became able to use both magic and martial arts at the same time? I might become stronger than you.”
“Then I would be delighted.”
“What?”
Emperor Hwan blinked at Sirius’s words.
“You’d be delighted if I became stronger than you? You’re more…”
“If I were to fight and achieve victory against you who can use both magic and martial arts simultaneously, I too would be able to reach even greater heights.”
“……”
Emperor Hwan frowned.
“Tch, I guess I was wrong. There’s no way you’d sincerely congratulate me on becoming stronger.”
“That’s not entirely true.”
Sirius’ goal is to surpass the realm of the peerless swordsman, Baek Moo-rang.
If Hwan-wang figures out how to use magic and martial arts at the same time, he’ll get a major clue there, too.
“Study diligently.”
“May I ask you something if I have a question?”
“I won’t teach you kindly like Verdiant. You’re not my disciple.”
“Tsk, what a meanie.”
Hwan-wang clucked his tongue.
“I’ll definitely master martial arts and defeat you.”
“I’ll be rooting for you, Hwan-wang.”
Saying so, Sirius smiled.
It was anticipated whether Hwan-wang could master martial arts.
“By the way, Sirius, what are you going to do from now on?”
“First, I plan to meet Aleion and Vellid and supervise their swordsmanship for a few days.”
Aleion had recently reached the 5th circle.
He was getting stronger by combining the martial arts swordsmanship that Sirius had taught him with the magic sword of the 5th circle.
Vellid had also finished his thousandth practice of the Three Calamities Swordsmanship and had acquired a martial arts mindset.
Sirius planned to continue watching to see what level they would reach as they learned martial arts swordsmanship while maintaining their circles.
“And after I ask them to take care of things in the future, I plan to leave Palamia.”
He had made the Granz family his ally and subdued the Gartus Mercenary Group.
Now, the Palamia region could be sufficiently managed with just the power of the Cheonrang Sword Group.
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“Leave Palamia?”
Hwan-wang tilted his head.
“What if the subordinates of the Gale King or the Poison King attack Palamia?”
“They won’t.”
“What?”
“Because I’ll lure them out.”
Now that Sirok and Balaria had fallen, they would have understood that it wouldn’t be easy to kill Sirius.
It would be better to concentrate all their forces on Sirius.
“If I move while revealing where I’m going, they’ll come after me.”
“But they’ll still aim for Verdiant?”
“I’ll take Verdiant with me.”
“What? To make him prepare medicine?”
“With Verdiant’s abilities, he can make enough of Riald-nim’s healing potions, antidotes, and endotoxins in a few days.”
Verdiant was very skilled.
He would make everything before leaving Palamia.
“The problem is the elixir, which can’t be completed right now anyway. I don’t have enough ingredients.”
“Ingredients?”
“There’s a place called the Lespada family, who sent the crimson herb through Eustia. I heard that the lord of that family is an expert in medicinal herbs, so I plan to visit them and try to get some.”
I might be able to get more crimson herb too.
“Hmm, you’re going to take Verdiant with you to secure the ingredients for the elixir.”
“You’ll teach me the mental cultivation method as well.”
“If that’s the case, I can’t not go with you.”
Right now, the Union’s targets are Sirius, Verdian, and Hwanwang.
If we stick together, it’ll be easier to draw them out.
“What are we going to do once we secure the ingredients for the elixir?”
“We have to strike the Black Iron Union.”
To establish order in the West, we have to take down the Black Iron Union, the most powerful force in the West.
“And… if possible, I’d like to visit the Ernst family.”
“……”
Ernst family.
Hwanwang’s expression twisted at the mention of that name.
“You mean the Ernst family, one of the Five Great Noble Families of the continent.”
“Yes, there’s a 9th Circle Great Mage there as well. However… they don’t manage the Western region at all.”
They’re worse than the Strauss family of the Southern Union.
That’s because they’ve completely locked their doors and aren’t engaging in any external activities.
They’re in a so-called ‘seclusion’ state.
“So I’m thinking of visiting the Ernst family and asking them what their intentions are.”
“Hmm, that sounds interesting.”
Hwanwang said, stroking his chin.
“I’ve been wanting to meet the head of the Ernst family as well. That guy must be aiming for the 10th Circle, so I wonder what kind of power he has.”
* * *
The day they left Palamia.
Sirius had Allei and Velid spar.
“Stop.”
After about 30 minutes, Sirius stopped the spar.
“You both did well.”
There was still a big gap in skill between the two.
Even so, the spar lasted 30 minutes because Velid focused on defense.
“Allei, why couldn’t you overpower Velid?”
“I couldn’t break through Velid’s defense.”
Allei said with a frustrated expression.
“He’s just repeating simple movements, but it was too solid.”
“Yes, the Three Calamities Swordsmanship only has three movements, but if you train properly, it’s practical enough.”
“Yes, it’s much more powerful than before. He’s growing very quickly.”
Sirius then turned his gaze to Velid.
“Velid, if this were a real fight, do you think you could have lasted 30 minutes?”
“No way.”
Velid replied with a bitter expression.
“I was only able to hold out because this was a spar. If he had been trying to kill me, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”
“Yes, Allei is better at magic swordsmanship.”
“That’s right. I still have much to learn.”
Both Aleyon and Velid were calmly accepting the outcome of this duel.
Sirius felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking that his teachings had not been in vain.
“Good. Then I can leave Palamia with peace of mind.”
“Oh, I heard you were going somewhere else?”
“Yes, so you two will be responsible for protecting Palamia.”
“Hmm, I guess it’ll be fine with the Blue Wolf Knights here.”
Velid nodded with a relaxed expression.
But then Aleyon spoke up.
“Master, I would like you to take Velid with you.”
“What?”
Sirius and Velid both looked at Aleyon, surprised by his unexpected request.
“Velid is growing very quickly. But he still lacks real-world experience.”
“……”
“If he stays in Palamia, all he’ll do is deal with petty matters. It would be better for him to follow you, Master, and gain experience in life-or-death battles.”
Velid looked at Aleyon, his mouth hanging open.
Originally, Aleyon had often bullied Velid since they first met.
Even after that, he continued to treat Velid like an inferior, crushing his pride.
That’s why Velid never expected Aleyon to say something like this.
“Leave Palamia to me and the Blue Wolf Knights. I’ll take responsibility for protecting it, even without that guy.”
“……”
Sirius looked at Aleyon without saying a word.
And he thought back to when he first met Aleyon.
At that time, Aleyon was the 6th seat of the Kalstein Knights and blindly followed orders without thinking.
Compared to those days… Aleyon had clearly shown signs of growth.
“I’m glad I took you in, Aleyon.”
Aleyon smiled at Sirius’s words.
“I understand. I’ll take Velid with me.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Velid’s mouth hung open as if he didn’t know what to say.
Sirius ignored Velid and spoke to Aleyon.
“Aleyon, and from now on, don’t call me Master.”
“Huh?”
Ever since the Blue Wolf Knights were founded, Aleyon had always called Sirius Master.
But now, he could no longer call him that.
“I will officially entrust you with the command of the Blue Wolf Knights. From now on, you are the Master of the Blue Wolf Knights.”
“……!”
Aleyon’s eyes widened.
“W-what are you talking about, Master…”
“I said don’t call me that, Master of the Blue Wolf Knights.”
“……!”
Leader of the Thousand Blade Clan.
That was Aileon’s new title.
“Aileon, you are no longer a mere 6th rank who is only meant to be sacrificed. You are now a leader who commands many people.”
Sirius said as he patted Aileon on the shoulder.
“Make sure not to disgrace yourself and do your best.”
“Ugh…….”
Aileon bit his lip and swallowed his tears.
Originally, Aileon was just supposed to be used by the Kalstein Sword Clan and then die a horrible death.
However, after meeting Sirius, he was able to walk a new path.
He learned to swing his sword not to satisfy the greed of his superiors, but for a greater cause.
And…… he had finally been given a position of responsibility.
He had become the leader of a sword clan, just like his former master, Kalstein.
However, Aileon had no intention of acting like Kalstein.
He would put into practice what he had learned from Sirius all this time.
“I will do my best……!”
Aileon bowed his head deeply, filled with gratitude.
Sirius was Aileon’s true master.