The Martial God with Psychic Powers-Chapter 85

At Go Seung’s hesitant words, Yeon Woo Jin replied in a soft, calm voice.

“If you start doing well now, that’s enough. I believe in you, Senior.”

“Snf... To think you’d place such trust in someone as useless as me...”

Go Seung looked overwhelmed with emotion at Yeon Woo Jin’s words.

“But... why do you seniors keep speaking formally? I told you to speak comfortably.”

“This is more comfortable for us.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I prefer it this way as well.”

The seniors’ use of formal speech made the underclassmen squirm like they were sitting on a bed of nails.

And yet, they themselves weren’t allowed to speak formally.

Yeon Woo Jin had forbidden it.

Not until they graduated from the Academy.

Even then, outside formal occasions, it remained off-limits.

Since they’d clearly expressed their dislike for honorifics, Yeon Woo Jin simply nodded without insisting.

“Anyway, no matter what anyone says, you’re the top among the intermediate students, Go Seung. And since you’ll be leading Baekyeong as a senior next year, you need to take control of the intermediates now.”

Looking almost tearful, Go Seung muttered,

“I’ve never been good at handling people...”

“People respond to sincerity. If you’re genuine, the other intermediates will follow you. No one’s good at something from the start. Take this chance and give it a try.”

“I understand. But still... even if I’m the best among the intermediates, I’m behind in actual skill. If other academies come to challenge us, I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“Then I’ll make sure you can.”

“...What?”

“Just trust me.”

“How?”

“Well, we’ll need to start a different kind of training.”

A different kind of training?

What kind of training?

That curiosity lingered as the meeting came to an end.

****

The next day.

That curiosity didn’t last long.

Yeon Woo Jin stood before them and beckoned with his finger.

When Go Seung tilted his head in confusion, Yeon Woo Jin spoke.

“Come at me. With everything you’ve got.”

“Wh-what? I-I couldn’t possibly...”

“That’s an order.”

He said it was an order.

Go Seung had no choice but to grip his beloved sword.

He began channeling his internal energy into the blade.

Woom...

As the sword hummed, Go Seung launched forward.

The infamous Heaven-Crushing Peerless Blade, the secret art of the Bladebreaker Division, erupted from his hands.

Whum—whum-whum—

Each swing of the massive sword stirred up violent winds that whipped Yeon Woo Jin’s hair.

But none of the blows landed.

Not even one.

The problem was clear: speed.

The strikes were powerful—no one could deny that—but they were painfully slow.

Part of the problem was the weight of Go Seung’s treasured sword.

Even though his strength could be described as enough to move mountains and shake the heavens, strength and speed were two very different things.

KA-KRAK!

The heavy blade slammed into the ground, sending stone shards flying toward Yeon Woo Jin.

Tap-tap-tap—

He dodged easily, barely fazed.

It was a clever attack, using debris as a distraction, but it still lacked impact.

First and foremost, they had to fix the slowness.

Whoom—

CLANG—

Now that Yeon Woo Jin had seen how slow it was, he wanted to test the force behind it.

He raised his hand and caught the massive sword mid-swing.

Go Seung’s eyes widened in shock.

He’d gone all out, thinking Yeon Woo Jin would simply dodge—but Yeon Woo Jin had caught it barehanded.

That, of course, was the trick.

By dodging so well earlier, Yeon Woo Jin had made Go Seung believe his attacks would never land—making him commit fully.

And Go Seung really had gone all out.

“A-are you alright?!”

“I’m fine. That power’s no joke. One clean hit and most people would be done for.”

“Th-thank you...”

“But the biggest flaw is still your speed. Up to now, you’ve mostly fought those beneath your level, so it didn’t matter. But from now on, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° your opponents will be your equals—or stronger.”

“I know... But no matter what I try, I just can’t get any faster.”

“Your massive muscles are actually getting in your way.”

“Should I... get rid of some of them?”

“Then you’d lose power. No—we’ll find a better way. For now, attack me using your fastest movement technique.”

Go Seung used the quickest lightfoot skill he knew to strike.

Yeon Woo Jin dodged without the slightest effort.

“Even your movement technique is too basic.”

He’d need to look deeper into the Heaven-Crushing Peerless Blade.

Looks like I’ll have to visit the Infinite Archive.

“We’re done here. I’ve got a rough idea of the problem, so that’s enough for today.”

“Thank you! So... the training begins now?”

“...Huh?”

“You said we’d be doing a different kind of training...”

“Oh, that? This was it. Before anything else, I needed to identify the core issue.”

It really was different from the crude, brute-force training Go Seung had endured until now.

He lowered his head respectfully.

“I’ll be in your care.”

Yeon Woo Jin gave a rare smile and nodded.

****

Later—at the Infinite Archive.

It had been a while since he’d last visited, and the staff welcomed him with bright smiles.

“Young Master! It’s been so long!”

“We thought you’d forgotten about us entirely!”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been caught up in Academy life.”

“Haha! Don’t mind us old men. We’re just excited to see you again!”

“I’ll come by more often from now on.”

“Even hearing that makes us happy, Young Master! Haha!”

“Here. I brought something for everyone.”

Yeon Woo Jin opened a box he’d carried in.

Inside were fine bottles of wine and deliciously roasted ducks—clearly expensive.

“What is this?”

“Seobong Clear Wine.”

“Wait—the Seobong Clear Wine? One of the Five Great Brews of the Central Plains?!”

“That’s the one.”

“All this?! For us?!”

They all stared at Yeon Woo Jin, visibly touched.

“If you’re looking for something, just say the word! We’ll have it for you in no time!”

“Well, there is one thing.”

“Don’t say it like it’s a favor! What do you need?”

“I’m looking for the original Heaven-Crushing Peerless Blade manual. Do you have it?”

“Heaven-Crushing Peerless Blade...”

“It’s the signature technique of the Bladebreaker Division—ranked fifty-eighth under the Martial God Sect. I figured it’d be here.”

“Ah! Bladebreaker! Yes, yes—I remember now. It should be in Wing One. I’ll retrieve it for you.”

“No need. Just tell me where, and I’ll read it myself.”

“W-we couldn’t possibly trouble you with that, Young Master!”

“My only request is that you enjoy the food and wine I brought. That’s enough for me.”

“But...”

“You’re not going to eat what I brought with such sincerity? That would really hurt my feelings...”

“N-no! We—we’ll eat it. Absolutely.”

“Good. Then please enjoy—and just give me the location.”

Yeon Woo Jin beamed, and the archivists gave up with a sigh.

“Hah... Young Master, we can’t say no to you. Alright. The manual is located in...”

Once the location was revealed, Yeon Woo Jin smiled and said,

“Perfect. Enjoy your meal. I’ll be heading straight into research, so don’t mind me. And please—eat it all.”

“We will!”

****

“I found it.”

Just as the archive master had said, Yeon Woo Jin located the original Heaven-Crushing Peerless Blade manual and sat cross-legged on the floor, reading through it.

What was written inside was completely different from how Go Seung had been using the technique.

“It’s supposed to move like a feather and strike like a mountain. Why was he moving like that?”

The manual detailed how to channel energy.

It described using the principle of Floating Emptiness to lighten the blade and increase speed—then, right before striking, using Mount Tai’s Descent to instantly weigh the blade down and crush the opponent.

But there was a problem.

The timing.

The blade had to be made heavy just before the moment of impact.

Yeon Woo Jin raised his hand to test it himself.

Whoom—

Thud—

He added weight just before it hit the floor.

It required intense concentration to time it correctly.

Trying to maintain that focus mid-battle would drain stamina fast.

Which explained why Go Seung was always exhausted.

To compensate, he probably bulked up his body.

And once his body grew stronger, he likely thought:

Why bother with the subtle stuff when I can just overpower them?

And so he did.

He figured that somewhere along the way, Go Seung must’ve simply let the principle of Floating Emptiness fade away.

Maybe his strength increased—but in exchange, his movements dulled.

Movements slow enough that even high-level opponents could dodge them with ease.

The core issue was clear now.

What remained was to find a solution.

And the solution... was simple.

Train him to make the blade light while swinging, then heavy only at the moment of impact.

Not by thinking, but by instinct. Muscle memory. The body would learn, and the body would obey.

Of course, the process would be hell.

****

The next day.

Yeon Woo Jin summoned Go Seung and asked the question directly—why wasn’t he using the energy technique of Floating Emptiness?

Just as expected, the answer came readily.

His strength had increased, so he didn’t see the need to make his blade lighter. He’d simply skipped that part of the training.

If even one person in his household had used their head, this wouldn’t have happened.

“The Heaven-Crushing Peerless Blade is a truly exceptional martial art. If you master it properly, you could rank among the top within the Martial God Sect.”

“R-really? You mean that?”

“I do. If you master it properly.”

Yeon Woo Jin stressed the word properly.

“I’ll do anything! Just show me the way!”

“Swing your blade.”

Go Seung immediately raised his sword and slashed with full force.

“Now try to make it light as you swing.”

“Make it light?”

“Yes.”

“I... I don’t really know how to do that.”

“Your lightfoot technique—”

Come to think of it, even his movement technique had been heavy.

Still, Yeon Woo Jin explained it as clearly as he could.

“When you use lightfoot techniques, what do you do?”

“I channel energy through my body to make myself light.”

“Exactly. Now do that—but to your sword. As if it were part of your body.”

“Channel lightfoot energy... into the sword?”

“Right.”

Go Seung tilted his head, then tried infusing his energy into the sword.

He could feel it—lightening in his hand.

“Now swing it, and just before it hits the ground, make it as heavy as you can.”

Whoosh—

Thunk—

Whummm—

Too slow.

The blade, now too light, trembled violently as soon as it hit the earth.

“Again.”

Whoosh—

Thunk—

Whummm—

“Again!”

Dozens of swings later, sweat was dripping from Go Seung’s forehead in thick beads.

Every time he swung, sweat flew off like mist.

Whoosh—

CRACK!

This time, the ground cracked open beneath the impact.

Go Seung turned to Yeon Woo Jin with a proud smile.

But Yeon Woo Jin’s expression remained dissatisfied, and Go Seung’s face fell immediately.

“You’re still too late. You have to strike at the perfect moment.”

“...Understood.”

Go Seung raised the sword again and resumed training.

But it was far harder than he’d imagined.

Adjusting energy with such precision demanded an insane level of control—and stamina.

His head throbbed from the concentration.

And with Yeon Woo Jin watching, slacking off wasn’t an option.

“Ghhk!”

Thunk—

Eventually, the sword slipped from his hand.

His body was drenched in sweat.

“This—this is the price of taking the easy path.”

“...The easy path...”

“You skipped the hard parts because they were too painful and exhausting. That’s why your Heaven-Crushing Peerless Blade is so disappointing.”

He’d always wondered about that, ever since he was a child.

They said the technique had once shaken the world.

But no matter how much he trained it, it never felt like a technique of that caliber.

Now he understood.

His ancestors had abandoned the proper path and taken the easy one.

Go Seung clenched his fist.

He would reclaim the true form of the Heaven-Crushing Peerless Blade—with his own hands.

He tried to rise and resume his training, but his body wouldn’t move.

The same body that could swing his massive sword all day without tiring was now completely spent.

“You thought your stamina was high, didn’t you? That was just an illusion. You’ve only ever walked the easy path. Of course you didn’t get tired. But once you start doing it right, your body gives out this fast.”

It hit him like a hammer.

Yeon Woo Jin realized something else, too: the Bladebreaker Division’s head must’ve been far more impressive than he’d assumed.

To think they maintained their ranking under the Martial God Sect—fifty-eighth overall—while using this degraded form of the technique.

They must’ve compensated for everything with sheer innate strength.

But if the technique had been used properly?

They might’ve ranked in the top twenty.

To the devastated Go Seung, Yeon Woo Jin spoke gently.

“Seeing is believing. Let me show you the real power of the Heaven-Crushing Peerless Blade.”

He extended a hand.

Go Seung’s sword, which had fallen to the ground, shot into the air and landed cleanly in Yeon Woo Jin’s grasp.

Whummm—

The blade hummed in his hand.