Chapter 288 (1/2)

Act 1

Only one thought entered Su-hyeun’s mind right after he first used the Palm Leaf Fan.

“Hey, this is not bad at all.”

That was rather tame as far as first impressions went.

However, Su-hyeun felt quite satisfied by that much. Only a handful of items in the entire world could make him feel this way, after all.

He knew about many items in existence.

As a matter of fact, he probably knew every single “pretty good” item there is, as well as those that haven’t appeared yet.

Despite that, Su-hyeun didn’t have much interest in those things. His reason was pretty simple—he didn’t need them.

Even after searching through the entire world, items that might make him think they were useful could be counted on one hand.

A treasure capable of raising someone else’s overall ability as an awakener to the next level would be seen as a so-so item in Su-hyeun’s eyes.

As such, the Palm Leaf Fan could very well be easily considered as one of the best among all the existing items after he found it “not bad at all.”

On the other hand, he did feel a bit rueful about this.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten carried away and picked the Sage title?”

The Sage title.

Even though it was a title, it could still be used alongside another already-existing title. This reward also possessed the ability to speed up one’s proficiency in the Sage Arts for which Su-hyeun was currently training.

After trying out the Palm Leaf Fan, Su-hyeun couldn’t help but think back to that title. Still, he comforted himself by thinking that it was still too early to pass judgment since the fan hadn’t gone through the hands of Kim Dae-ho yet.

And so, the Palm Leaf Sword was completed, but then…

—A little punk who can’t even properly wield the Somersault cloud yet wishes to wield me?

The first time he tried to bring out the sword’s true powers, an unknown voice suddenly invaded his hearing.

It felt similar to the time when he first heard the Somersault cloud’s voice. His whole being became weightless as if he had drifted away in the incoming winds, and a refreshingly cool sensation took over him.

The whole world seemed to have come to a stop just then.

—Do you think the difference between Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King is the same as the difference between you and me, the “Palm Leaf?”

—It is I who have taken him to the position of the Taoist god.

—That is a laughable notion. He hasn’t become a Taoist god yet, and you certainly didn’t play a significant role either.

—Surely, even you should know that it’s only a matter of time? Besides, worry more about Sun Wukong, and…

The Somersault cloud and Palm Leaf suddenly entered Su-hyeun’s mind and began fighting each other. Of course, it wasn’t actual fisticuffs but more like loud bickering, but still.

Even then, the exchange seemed to have taken place in the blink of an eye from Su-hyeun’s perspective. What was truly amazing to him was that despite how quick everything seemed, he could still clearly hear and understand their voices.

—Let me ask you, young punk. Do you think you can really exceed those two?

“Those two” obviously meant Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King.

Su-hyeun estimated that the current him should be stronger than Sun Wukong but not the Bull Demon King. However, the Palm Leaf’s question didn’t have anything to do with who was stronger among the three of them.

No, what it meant with that question was, “who would step closer to the realm of godhood by mastering the Sage Arts?”

For sure, Su-hyeun was worse off in the Sage Arts compared to Sun Wukong. For instance, he only just managed to come to grips with seeing the “Gyeol” recently, while Sun Wukong had already been training in the Sage Arts for well over 10,000 years.

In a way, Su-hyeun had only just begun taking his first baby steps and learning to stand on his own two feet.

However…

“I will.”

Su-hyeun replied with certainty at the Palm Leaf’s question.

“I’ll definitely reach that realm. Godhood.”

The Bull Demon King once said, “One must not discard all lingering attachments. One should look to fulfill them instead.”

Those words were meant for Su-hyeun.

In all honesty, he didn’t care about becoming a god or whatever. If he could become one, fine. If not, that was fine as well.

However, this one thought took root in his head. If he managed to reach that realm, then he was sure of creating a different future compared to the one he lived in the previous life.

That was precisely why Su-hyeun decided to reach the godhood realm.

He would master the Sage Arts and eventually catch up to the realm that the Bull Demon King had reached.

—At least he’s similar to Sun Wukong in that regard.

—He also resembles the Bull Demon King. It’s as if he’s a perfect 50-50 mixture of both Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King.

—This is the reason why I’ve chosen him.

—I’m still not certain.

Unlike the Somersault cloud, it seemed that the Palm Leaf hadn’t acknowledged Su-hyeun as its master yet.

While the Somersault cloud’s personality was comparable to an unyielding and righteous old man, the Palm Leaf seemed to be quite a hothead. As such, although these two were of similar scale in their overall power, Su-hyeun needed to employ different tricks if he wanted to wield them.

It was right then that winds of massive scale suddenly whipped around the Palm Leaf Sword that Su-hyeun held in his hand.

—You wish to climb up to godhood? In that case, allow me to show it to you.

Shu-shut, shushushushu—

Whoooooosh—

With Su-hyeun as the center—no, with the Palm Leaf Sword serving as the center, a massive whirlpool of winds began blowing about.

Su-hyeun was confident of being unperturbed even at the face of a storm, yet when these winds crashed into him, he needed to strengthen his legs to withstand the pressure.

At the same time, the winds had gotten as sharp as blades and began cutting his body everywhere.

“What kind of winds are these…?!” he thought.

—Why don’t you take a look from the bottom and see just how high the realm you wish to reach is?

This was the intention of the Palm Leaf.

Winds gathering on the Palm Leaf Sword began dancing wildly out of control. And simultaneously, time began moving forward again from being frozen.

Shwa-aaaaaah—

Fwhooooooosh—

All the winds gathering on the sword instantly enveloped Su-hyeun’s figure. Although nothing had been said, he could already tell what the Palm Leaf’s intention was.

“So, you want me to take a look, is that it?”

Su-hyeun clenched his teeth and endured the onslaught.

The sword felt heavier and heavier in his hand. To answer the Palm Leaf’s intention, Su-hyeun kept enduring as power continued to accumulate on the sword.

Grrrrrk, gah-aahk—!

The Cyclops became petrified by the power gathering in Su-hyeun’s sword and tried to escape from there. However, Su-hyeun couldn’t care any less about that right now.

“Alright, fine. Let’s take a look, shall we?”