Chapter 65

Chapter 64

“Huh! Huh!”

As Jo Hui violently thrashed about, causing the entire bed to shake, Han Seolhyeon, who had been frowning with concern throughout the night, was startled.

“Are you alright? Lord Jo?”

Despite the situation, Jo Hui did not forget to check for the cold aura (冰氣) around Han Seolhyeon.

“Ugh... Miss Han?”

“Yes, it’s me. Did you have a nightmare? How is your body? How are you feeling?”

Han Seolhyeon bombarded him with worried questions, and only then did Jo Hui regain his composure, offering a bitter smile.

“Phew... I’m fine. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“I’ll bring the prepared decoction. Don’t go anywhere, wait right here.”

“Understood.”

As Han Seolhyeon disappeared from the bedroom, Jo Hui finally had a moment to examine his body.

The bedding was drenched in his sweat.

The events in the South Sea (南海) were so traumatic that they haunted him even in his dreams.

“Phew...”

Since it was all caused by his light-hearted martial arts experiment, he still felt his heart might burst whenever he thought about it.

What if he had been weaker or failed to make a quick judgment?

The entire business district of Poyang Lake might have been submerged.

An unimaginable outcome.

Jo Hui now realized he could no longer experiment with whimsical thoughts carelessly.

A single mistake could result in the annihilation of hundreds of thousands of lives.

“I...”

Jo Hui’s face twisted, almost like a demon’s.

It was hard to describe.

The strange emotion he felt was perhaps close to self-loathing.

A single whim.

The unimaginable disaster it caused.

This was not a god but a monster.

Thus, Jo Hui felt the need to limit his own power.

“By the way, what was that?”

When he had given up everything and entrusted his body to the elders, a pillar of light suddenly descended from the sky, gently retrieving his black hole.

As if nothing had happened.

If those murmurs of Elder Tianwu were true, what did it mean?

Could he be a good guy after all?

If he were truly such a pure god, wouldn’t he have appeared at least once to punish someone who caused such a disaster?

Why doesn’t he reveal himself?

As Jo Hui’s mind swirled with these complex thoughts, his colleagues, who had heard from Han Seolhyeon, hurried to his bedroom one by one.

“Brother! Are you alright?”

Jo Hui nodded silently to Zhang Yilong, who had rushed in without even properly putting on his shirt.

“I’m fine.”

“Phew... I’m really relieved.”

“I’ll bring the prepared decoction. Don’t go anywhere, wait right here.”

“Understood.”

As Jo Hui’s colleagues gathered, his mind was still reeling from the complex emotions.

“Brother! Are you alright?”

Jo Hui nodded silently to Zhang Yilong, who had rushed in without even properly putting on his shirt.

“I’m fine.”

“Phew... I’m really relieved.”

He was no longer just a guild leader but the head of a powerful faction and the representative of the Central Plains Sword Sect. Zhang Yilong couldn’t even imagine a world without the Zhaogu Trading Company.

Next, a drenched Namgung Jangho arrived.

“You look fine.”

Jo Hui greeted him with a slight smile.

“Still practicing, Namgung?”

“If a Changtian Swordmaster doesn’t wield his sword after seeing such a heaven-defying technique, he wouldn’t be a Namgung anymore.”

“Of course not.”

Namgung Jangho glanced at the disheveled bed, drenched in sweat, and his eyes filled with concern.

“You still don’t seem fully recovered. Take better care of yourself.”

“I’m fine. It’s more my mind than my body that’s damaged.”

“Your mind?”

For a swordmaster, a damaged mind was a bigger issue than a damaged body.

“The mental demons (心魔) of a swordmaster are even more terrifying than the transformation into a demon. Especially for someone at your level...!”

Namgung Jangho’s thoughts were not lost on Jo Hui.

A swordmaster like the Little Sword God, who wielded god-like sword skills, becoming a sword demon (劒魔)?

It would cause a catastrophic disaster in this world, far surpassing the legendary Heavenly Demon (天魔) of divine strength.

“It’s not that bad, so don’t worry.”

A hint of fear flashed in Namgung Jangho’s eyes.

“What was that? It wasn’t a sword (劒) at all.”

Namgung Jangho was likely referring to the Three Gods Fusion Technique (三神融合絶技), the Black Hole, created by Jo Hui.

From his firm stance, Jo Hui could tell that Namgung Jangho was convinced it wasn’t a sword technique.

“I can’t even describe what it was.”

“Why?”

“It was just a whimsical thought I tried to manifest lightly.”

“Lightly? A thought?”

If this was a lightly manifested thought, what would happen if he tried to manifest something heavily? Would the Central Plains be annihilated?

“This isn’t something we can just overlook.”

By now, all of Jo Hui’s colleagues had gathered in the bedroom, and they all looked at him, unable to speak.

Bai Huarin and Jin Jiaxi, even Yan Shanglu, had erased their usual playful expressions and were staring at Jo Hui with serious faces.

The heavy silence continued for a while.

Finally, Namgung Jangho, representing the group, continued his questions.

“Isn’t it time to tell us, Jo Hui?”

“Tell us what?”

Namgung Jangho’s eyes shone with determination.

“All of us, your close comrades, know you have a secret. We’ve pretended not to notice until now, but we need to know now.”

Jin Jiaxi spoke up.

“You often mumble as if talking to someone, even when no one is around. I’ve always wondered if you can see ghosts, Jo Hui.”

Zhang Yilong nodded.

“I’ve also heard about the incident when you healed my hand. Our master said, ‘Reaching the pinnacle of martial arts is harder than achieving a Daoist’s magical power. Even after a hundred years of cultivation, it’s difficult to attain even a sliver of magical power.’”

Yan Shanglu, sitting on the floor, pointed at Jo Hui’s iron sword leaning against the bed.

“Even flying with a sword (御劒飛行) is impossible. Reaching the realm of a sword spirit (劒靈) is even harder. It’s a matter of time, not just talent or realm. Even legendary immortals who have reached the Daoist path (仙道) consider flying with a sword an otherworldly realm. Even the legendary Sword Saint Zixia, the greatest swordsman of his time, never demonstrated this ability.”

A swordmaster can achieve the realm of a sword spirit (劒靈) when they and their sword become one after years of practice. This is a classic concept in martial arts, and it was impossible for someone of Jo Hui’s age.

However, Jo Hui’s flying with a sword was not a result of becoming one with his sword but rather a manifestation of his will.

This time, Jo Hui responded.

“My sword spirit... or rather, my method, is a bit different.”

“Then tell us about that different method. I’m curious to the point of madness.”

Namgung Jangho, who had silently listened to all the questions, now had a determined look in his eyes.

“Everyone has their own questions about you. I’m just as confused. Your growth in martial arts is unprecedented in history. Even the ancient masters whose legends remain in the martial world would be shocked by your growth rate. Your growth has surpassed not only the Three Gods (三神) but even the founders of the martial world, Dharma and Zhang Sanfeng. Is that all?”

“...”

“Your growth in martial arts alone is shocking, but what about your scholarship and skills? The topic you raised at the Xiaolong Grand Assembly has become a major discourse in the Central Plains Confucian community, sparking intense debates. I’ve heard that countless scholars are eagerly waiting to meet the Little Sword God, and I have to turn them away several times a day. Do you know that?”

“No, it’s not that bad...”

Namgung Jangho laughed bitterly.

“Your words at the Xiaolong Grand Assembly completely overturned the Confucian thought that dominates the Central Plains. Many Confucian scholars are being arrested by the government. It’s only a matter of time before the imperial guards come for you.”

“...”

No, did my words at the Xiaolong Grand Assembly really have such a butterfly effect?

“Since you’ve become the head of a martial faction, the imperial guards are just biding their time. They won’t consider the mutual non-aggression between the government and the martial world. The Central Plains Confucian community is in chaos. If things go wrong, a Dongchuang might appear.”

“A Dongchuang?”

Dongchuang is a hidden force of the imperial court. Even the most powerful intelligence agency, Yejie, couldn’t fathom their true strength.

“An incomprehensible growth in martial arts, a scholarly insight that overturned the Central Plains Confucian community with a single topic, a strategic mind surpassing the legendary Zhuge Liang, and...”

Namgung Jangho’s eyes widened.

“I, like Zhang Yilong, find your magical power the most incomprehensible! It’s an enigma that can’t be explained by anything!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Bai Huarin spoke up cautiously.

“I have a question too.”

Jo Hui turned to her.

“I was definitely naked, right? How can you resist looking at that body? Are you a eunuch?”

No, how can she be curious about that in such a serious situation!

Namgung Jangho looked at Bai Huarin with disdain and then turned back to Jo Hui.

“Phew... If you really consider us your comrades, you need to clear up all these doubts. If you just say, ‘I’m a genius,’ I’ll really cut ties with you.”

Jo Hui, feeling a bit guilty, realized this wasn’t a situation he could brush off with a joke as usual.

Even the usually silent and supportive Namgung Jangho was now pressing him with all his might.

‘Elders, what should I do?’

Jo Hui cautiously called out to the elders in the spirit realm, but they remained silent.

-You are no longer someone who needs our advice. Make your own judgment.

After a long moment of contemplation, Jo Hui slowly raised his head and looked at his comrades.

“Actually...”

Jo Hui was at a loss for where to start and how much to reveal.

To be truly honest with his comrades, he would have to tell them everything from his reincarnation to the divine throne, but he wasn’t sure if they would believe him.

I was actually from a country called South Korea in the distant future, and I came to this Central Plains world because of a strange necklace?

If they didn’t treat him as a madman, he’d be lucky.

But he couldn’t properly explain himself without revealing all his secrets.

Reluctantly, Jo Hui decided to throw out a hint.

“Don’t we usually refer to martial artists who have reached an incomprehensible realm as being at the ‘divine level’ (神的境界)?”

“Divine level (入神之境)? Or are you talking about the natural realm (自然境)?”

Jo Hui nodded silently to Zhang Yilong’s response.

“That’s the extent of what ordinary people can understand. But what if there really was someone who became a god?”

Namgung Jangho tilted his head.

“Become a god (神)?”

Throughout the Central Plains, there are countless Guandi Temples, but no one with common sense worships Guan Yu as a true god.

Worshipping Guandi is about admiring his bravery and noble spirit, and wishing to emulate or receive his protection for oneself and one’s family.

Of course, some commoners do worship Guan Yu as a god.

But if you asked them to compare Guan Yu with the true gods of China, such as the Three Sovereigns (三皇) or the Primordial Celestial Venerable of Daoism, they would all shake their heads.

That’s the true divinity.

Even in the most primitive societies, people revere the sun, moon, and stars, and the properties of water and rain.

As mortal beings, humans instinctively admire the eternal, which they can never achieve.

However, Guan Yu died as a human.

This is the absolute difference between gods and humans.

Throughout the history of the martial world, no immortal (永生不滅) has ever appeared.

Even the legendary Dharma and Zhang Sanfeng, and the Three Gods, all died.

If they existed, they would only be the products of oral tradition and legend, not reality.

Naturally, Namgung Jangho found Jo Hui’s claim absurd.

“Gods have always existed as gods. Humans cannot become gods.”

Jo Hui tilted his head.

“What about the immortals (神仙) of Daoism? They are clearly divine beings, aren’t they?”

Namgung Jangho shook his head firmly.

“They are all exaggerated legends. No one has ever truly seen an immortal. Besides, the phenomenon of ascending to immortality (羽化登仙) cannot be proven. Believing in something that cannot be proven or disproven is clearly superstition.”

I only believe what I see with my own eyes?

Wow, this Namgung brother would never become a religious person even if he were born in modern times.

“What if a human who became a god exists?”

Everyone stared at him blankly.

Jo Hui had no choice but to pull aside his robe and fumble around his neck, pulling out the Yitian Blood Jade (義天血玉), which had lost its original red aura and turned colorless.

“This is the proof.”

As everyone’s eyes focused on the Yitian Blood Jade, Jo Hui continued slowly.

“This is the supreme magical treasure created by the disciples of ‘He’ who became a god in human form, using all their magical power. It is the only means to challenge ‘Him’ and the last hope.”

“Magical treasure (法寶)?”

In the martial world, legendary divine weapons (神兵利器) do exist.

However, while divine weapons are real, magical treasures (法寶) are a different story.

They are fantastical items from legendary tales.

Now, Jo Hui was essentially saying that this bead was like Sun Wukong’s golden hoop or the magic staff.

Yan Shanglu sneered.

“It looks like a cheap trinket from a market.”

Jo Hui’s necklace was indeed very ordinary.

A simple leather cord twisted together.

The bead hanging from it was colorless and lacked any beauty.

How could such a thing be a magical treasure created by the disciples of a god?

Jo Hui’s comrades all looked skeptical.

Namgung Jangho, with his characteristic transparent eyes, examined the Yitian Blood Jade and then spoke indifferently.

“If it’s a magical treasure, it should possess great magical power. What is the ability of this necklace?”

Jo Hui’s response left everyone frozen in shock.

“The bead contains the souls (靈魂) of several absolute beings who have left a mark in the history of the Central Plains.”

“What, what did you say?”

“Huh?”

Namgung Jangho’s face contorted.

“What nonsense!”

Jo Hui, with a resigned smile, leaned back in his chair.

“I’m just telling you the truth. What would I gain by lying to my comrades? Believe it or not, that’s up to you.”

Zhang Yilong, unable to contain his curiosity, shouted roughly.

“W, who exactly is in there?”

“Let’s start with our Zhaogu family. There’s Elder Mengde and his descendants, the Confucian scholars led by Elder Wanxiang, the first secret master of the dark business world, Zhao Gang, and from the martial world, the Sword God Zhao Tian.”

“...”

“...”

Jo Hui’s comrades stood frozen, their mouths