Chapter 355
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Expelled by Kang Sang, Seong Jihan looked down at the ground.
The Nine Pces and Eight Trigrams that had been drawn over the Myriad Ghost Sealing Gods were no longer there.
Seong Jihan touched the symbol of the Myriad Ghost Sealing Gods again, but this time, as the pattern of the Nine Pces and Eight Trigrams began to form, it stopped midway.
The power of the Nine Pces and Eight Trigrams is gradually recharging.
At this rate, it would take roughly two weeks for the Nine Pces and Eight Trigrams to be redrawn.
Reflecting on the recent event, Seong Jihan thought,
Is it because I am an entity that cannot be sealed that I survived?
Though he didnt understand why he was unseble, being expelled and benefiting from this entry into the Nine Pces and Eight Trigrams was substantial.
Stat Eternity +3.
An ability that wouldnt increase no matter what had suddenly risen significantly.
However.
How do I defeat that?
Seong Jihan felt disheartened.
Not even Martial Soul could acquire Kang Sangs martial arts. After all, the perfected Crimson Divinity Technique I learned from Dongbang Sak was superior to Kang Sangs.
The fact that Martial Soul didnt activate was because the Crimson Divinity Technique obtained from Dongbang Sak was at a higher level than Kang Sangs.
On the contrary,
During the recent battle, it seemed as though Kang Sang was learning from Seong Jihan, dazzlingly advancing his martial arts.
So, I had the upper hand in terms of martial arts level but waspletely outmatched in the finesse of its application.
Despite having the advantage in sheer power, Seong Jihan was thoroughly outperformed as a martial artist by Kang Sang.
Facing the Taiji Lost Soul, let alone defeating it, seemed impossible if he couldnt win with martial arts alone.
Amidst these thoughts, Pythia appeared behind him, instantly erecting a barrier.
To think the final limit would be here Fascinating. Dongbang Sak imed it was lost.
Were you also expelled?
Yes. Since you werent sealed, they just let me go. They even said if I wanted the World Tree, I shoulde back in two weeks?
Two weeks, huh I understand.
That would be enough time for the Nine Pces and Eight Trigrams to recharge.
As Seong Jihan nodded,
Pythias eyes widened in surprise.
Eh, are you nning to go back?
I n to. I cant just stay defeated like this.
Its natural to be defeated by Dongbang Sak.
The entity inside the formation seemed to be human Kang Sang, not the Constetion Dongbang Sak. Shouldnt I defeat him?
Hmm, thats true But for that, you should have used all your power.
All my power?
Yes, you didnt even use your half-mask.
Seong Jihan had means to significantly boost his power.
Turning on the Constetions traits and using the half-mask.
However, during the battle with Kang Sang, Seong Jihan deliberately chose not to use them.
Even without the mask, I had the upper hand in power. If I cant win in that state, how am I supposed to stand against Dongbang Sak or the Martial God?
Hmm Instead of trying to win as a martial artist, why not crush him using all your power? If you subdue Kang Sang and take control of that sealing formation, you might be able to discover why Dongbang Sak remains loyal to the Martial God.
And how would knowing that change things?
Knowing the reason, depending on the situation, might allow us to separate Dongbang Sak from the Martial God. Dongbang Sak doesnt like talking about his time as Kang Sang. He imed the final limit was lost, but it was clearly within the sealing formation Theres definitely something significant about that ce.
Pythia suggested forcefully taking over by leveraging all the power at his disposal,
Deeming the rtionship between the Martial God and Dongbang Sak as the most crucial aspect to understand.
However.
If, after discovering the reason, he still remains loyal to the Martial God?
Then, well
Guess I should just stick my neck out and wait to be killed then.
It wont be like that. There truly must be something. Consider it a prophets intuition!
I thought you said you werent a prophet.
Ugh
At the very least, Ill defeat Kang Sang with my power.
Seong Jihans eyes settled calmly.
If he couldnt even defeat a mere fisherman, how could he stand against the Martial God or Dongbang Sak?
The opponent inside the Nine Pces and Eight Trigrams was someone Seong Jihan had to ovee as a martial artist.
And.
Stat Eternity also rises when near the World Tree.
The opportunity to increase a stat that hardly ever rose, presented by the Nine Pces and Eight Trigrams.
He couldnt just destroy that ce with brute force. He should try to raise Eternity as much as possible this time.
Two weeks, huh I need to prepare.
Ah Just listen to me Didnt you see? You cant win with martial arts alone. That person is a monster.
Despite Pythias dissatisfaction with Seong Jihans decision and her grumbling, Seong Jihan gazed at her calmly while she was in Sophias body.
Pythia, I have a question.
What is it?
Why are you ranked higher than Dongbang Sak?
Ranking?
Dongbang Sak is second, and youre the fourth disciple, but the difference in power seems overwhelming.
Im not that weak, you know? Its just that old man is an exception.
Pythia pouted as she spoke. Second or fourth, thats just the order, not rank.
Is that so? What does the order signify then?
The order in which we became disciples. Its in reverse. Longinus was thetest, and Gilgamesh was the first.
So, you were the second to follow the Martial God? That was a long time ago.
Yes Thats right! Im the oldest woman in humanity.
I didnt really ask about that.
Zapp.
Pythia gave Seong Jihan a sharp look and then pointed upwards with her finger.
Ill be heading back now. I cant stay descended for too long.
Alright.
And if you struggle against Kang Sang two weekster, just use all your power. And let me know the oue.
Wait until I win.
Sigh Hes the greatest warrior amongst humanity, an exception to the norm.
Pythia dampened Seong Jihans resolve with her words, but he just chuckled and replied.
It seems too foolish to take the words of a grandmother too seriously.
Hey! Who are you calling a grandmother!
Oh. My apologies. Was calling you young at heart too much?
Keep that up, and I wont give you this.
Swoosh.
Pythia pouted and took something out of her hand.
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It was a round ice fragment with letters etched on it.
Whats that?
You said youre going back there in two weeks, right? Ive marked the exact coordinates here. Insert this into your sword rainter, and itll guide you to the location.
Oh, Ill ept that graciously.
Seong Jihan took the fragment from her and emerged from the sea.
Once at the sea surface, Pythia deactivated the barrier.
Well, since I sneaked out, I should head back now. If you face Kang Sang and feel like youre not going to win, just use all your power.
Ill handle it, no worries.
Sigh
Shaking her head disapprovingly, Pythia exited Sophias body.
Ah
Sophia, the rightful owner of the body, blinked her eyes before looking around and making an incredulous expression.
Why are we above the sea?
Dont you remember?
No. Not at all.
Your Constetion found us a ce in the middle of the sea that boosts stats.
Seong Jihan sinctly summarized the event at the oceans seabed for Sophia, who then lit up.
Then, did Jihans stats increase?
Indeed.
Since you also got a free stat boost, lets enjoy our holiday!
Here?
Lets head to the beach!
Well, usually I would
Smirking slightly, Seong Jihan already had Kang Sangs martial arts deeply embedded in his mind.
The movements of the old man wielding a staff, though less perfected than the Crimson Divinity Technique he mastered through Martial Soul, he had still managed not to take a fatal hit and even advanced his martial arts.
Dongbang Sak, as Pythia said, indeedcked nothing to be considered the strongest amongst humanity.
I dont have the luxury of time right now.
Having resolved to ovee him, there was no spare moment to cast his gaze elsewhere.
Oh Thats a shame.
Lets go next time. Once all this is over.
Taking the disheartened Sophia with him, Seong Jihan returned home.
* * *
August 10th.
This was the day when the World Champions League match was scheduled between Korea, the champion ofst seasons Champions League, and the United States, the runner-up.
-Keke, were actually ying in the World Champions League LOL
-Winning the Champs itself was unbelievable
- With Seong Jihan, us winning makes total sense LOL
-They didnt ban him, did they? LOL
-But was the World Champions League always between the champ and the runner-up?
-Technically, its between the number 1 ranked country and the Champs winner. If the Champs winner is also ranked 1st, then its against 2nd ranked.
-Ah, so thats why its always been USA and China in the World Champions League.
Viewers, though treating the match as an event game, harbored anticipation for the big match.
In terms of power, it was undoubtedly the Korean national team that was disadvantaged.
Without Seong Jihan, a uniquely powerful yer, the championship would have naturally belonged to the USA.
Consequently, Noh Youngjun, the coach of the Korean team, was hoping for Seong Jihan to participate again in this World Champions League.
Really, Jihan has no intention of participating?
Yoon Sejin nced towards Seong Jihans room.
Yeah, uncle came back home and said he needed to do some training. That Void Training Room He went there and hasnte out since.
Jihan is amazing Hes so strong, yet never stops training.
Right? I wish uncle would take it easy sometimes Have we humans put too much on his shoulders?
Probably. Without him, humanity would have struggled. He must feel a significant responsibility. I cantpare to brother-inw, but Ive felt the weight of our national teams performance before.
Yoon Sejin, the Sword King, who was the pir of the Korean team until he fell for Shizuru, had received immense attention and expectations from Koreans and experienced considerable pressure.
But for Seong Jihan, it was not just about Korea but humanity as a whole.
No doubt, the responsibility and stress must be enormous
But dad knew how to unwind, going around drinking and having fun. I thought dad was really busy back then.
Um, well I wasnt in my right mind then.
I wonder how uncle relieves his stress. Maybe he should learn from dad? Itll turn into an illness if it piles up.
Cough. Now, Seah, lets stop this talk and head to the BattleNet center. We have to prepare for the World Champions League.
Ah, okay.
Yoon Seah, after a quick nce at Seong Jihans room, followed Yoon Sejin out of the house.
Meanwhile, inside the Void Training Room.
Thatll do.
Thud!
After endlessly simting scenarios, Seong Jihan finally managed tond a hit on Kang Sang.
Ive challenged him thousands no, tens of thousands of times.
The 10-minute battle against Kang Sang.
Over the past few days, Seong Jihan continually reviewed and reyed this battle in the Void Training Room.
He had the upper hand in terms of power and martial arts level.
However, what had ced Seong Jihan at a disadvantage against this Kang Sang was thebat sense and the ability to apply martial arts at the right moment.
After countless challenges, Seong Jihan barely managed to bridge this gap yet,
Its stillcking
Kang Sang, visible in the simtion, showed remarkable growth during battle, yetcked the overwhelming sh of talent.
Maybe I should limit my power.
If the simtion couldnt fully capture Kang Sangs talent, he would level the ying field from his side by limiting his abilities.
Battling with reduced power, Seong Jihan found himself pushed back.
Thud!
As expected, not easy.
Seong Jihan, with limited powers, continually faced defeat in the simtion, sensing the gap between him and Kang Sang grow.
Despite continuously facing beheading and impalement,
Haha
Seong Jihan smiled in the face of overpowering martial prowess.
When he matched Kang Sang with limited abilities,
[Your Martial Soul stat increases by 1.]
Martial Soul was slowly, albeit slightly, improving.
Despite the clear talent disparity
Dongbang Sak.
His talent, as per Pythia, was truly exceptional.
Matching him in power, Kang Sang was an invincible foe.
In contrast, though Seong Jihan was the current strongest of humanity, the talent gap between them was starkly evident.
However.
The gap is gradually narrowing.
Maybe it was thanks to Martial Soul.
The chasm of talent, once as vast as the difference between heaven and earth, started to close.
Surviving 10 seconds extended to 1 minute.
1 minute stretched to 5 minutes, then to 10.
And from merely surviving,
Quite impressive.
As Seong Jihans sword began to press Kang Sang, earning admiration from him, progress stalled.
Is this where it teaus?
From an initially overwhelming disadvantage, the continuous challenge brought the exchange of offense and defense to an equilibrium.
However, no matter how much he persisted, Seong Jihan, with his restricted abilities, couldnt overpower Dongbang Sak.
This seems to be the limit for now.
Deciding it was time to conclude, Seong Jihan looked at the system message.
Martial Soul had risen by a total of 10 points.
For just battle simtions, it was a remarkable increase, though it took tens of thousands of trials.
To surpass his martial arts, another stimulus is needed.
If he only simtes a battle with Kang Sang, he wont be able to overwhelm him.
Seong Jihan, stepping out of the Void Training Room, checked his status window.
Specifically.
His ss, the Heterogeneous Martial Resolve
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