Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God Chapter 18
Ideation Assimilation
"……Does that mean someone was following me?"
Namgung Sanyeong instinctively took a step back when she saw Sugangsi, then asked with a startled face.
"So, behind that guy after all……!"
"The sorcery of manipulating spirits is quite unique. The level is fairly high too. This kind of thing is usually passed down only within certain secret factions. Looks like your illegitimate son has managed to gain quite a grand patron, hasn’t he?"
Namgung Sanyeong’s expression hardened.
"Hm, this won’t do. The numbers don’t add up. You’ll have to add two more crates."
"As I said, this is at a level even we cannot take lightly.”
Namgung Sanyeong’s fist trembled at Shinju’s shameless attitude, but soon he had to nod.
"Fine. But you must handle the matter thoroughly. You must clearly reveal the identity of the one behind this, and you must also take responsibility for turning that illegitimate son into a Huagangsi."
"The customer is king. How could I ever disobey a royal command? Hahaha!"
When Shinju shook the bell in his left hand, darkness opened beside Namgung Sanyeong, and a man appeared.
His entire body was tightly wrapped in black bandages, exuding a sinister aura.
He was Shinju’s disciple and assassin.
"Did you call, Master?"
When the man raised one arm high, an eagle far larger than a person burst out from among the Sugangsi and landed on his forearm.
With a black whirlwind, it vanished without a trace.
I finished the drinking party and returned to Baeksaekjeon together with Tang Gyujin.
"Can I ask you just one thing?"
"Yes, of course. But sister, aren’t you going back to your room?"
"What for? Even if I go, I’ll just be bored alone."
Tang Gyujin quickly scanned the surroundings of Baeksaekjeon as he said this.
As if checking whether something was hiding there.
「It seems he’s trying to protect the young master from the possible clutches of my mother.」
「For a disciple of Cheongseong Sect, he’s a child with a proper character!」
Since I knew Namgung Sanyeong’s personality better than anyone, it seemed she was simply preparing for any possible incident.
I knew well that even if I said I was fine, Tang Gyujin wouldn’t listen, so I didn’t bother stopping her.
If that’s what she needed to do to feel at ease, what could I do?
Instead, I gripped the staff in my hand and took a stance, meaning only that she shouldn’t interfere with my training.
There was something I wanted to confirm.
"Why did you skip over Yuchang in the training grounds and immediately challenge me to a duel?"
"Must there be a reason for a duel?"
"But really, there is. For you, just defeating Yuchang would have been enough to make it seem like you’d regained your place. On the other hand, if you lost to me, even that would have been rendered meaningless."
So that’s what she was stalling for. This was what she’d been curious about?
I slowly unfolded the Sanhwa Staff Technique as I answered.
"My answer is the same."
"A duel doesn’t need to have a reason, does it?"
"To be honest, at first there were all sorts of reasons behind it… but to put it simply, I just wanted to spar with you, sister, and so I did. That’s all. And the one who taught me that was—"
The staff drove cleanly into the scarecrow’s neck.
"It was you, wasn’t it, sister? You’re the one who said that’s what it means to be a martial artist."
Tang Gyujin didn’t ask any further questions.
A face that looked as if chewing over something.
It seemed she was holding onto some worry, or perhaps a question for contemplation.
Just as she had given me a new realization in my state of mind, I too hoped that I could be of at least a little help to her.
I focused back on training.
But instead of placing my awareness on the staff, I placed it on my danjeon.
During the duel with Tang Gyujin, I had felt something click into place, hadn’t I?
After that, my flow of inner energy had felt much smoother, and even my body’s movements had become more fluid.
I thought that if I could figure out what exactly was different from before, it might help me improve my training.
'……There’s no real difference, is there?'
There wasn’t any noticeable change in my danjeon.
「Is there some problem, young master?」
「If there’s anything you need, leave it to me! I will help you!!」
「In my younger days, I even served as an instructor at Ipma Palace! When it comes to training, I’m second to none, so ask me!」
While the spirits were making a fuss to be noticed by me, one of them happened to seem decent.
His name in life… of course, I don’t remember.
Let’s just call him Spirit One.
‘I definitely achieved Yang Gwang Ihyeon, didn’t I?’
「Ooooh! To reach such an accomplishment in just two short months after beginning martial arts. Truly, the young master’s talent rivals that of the great First Heavenly Demon—」
‘Why do you think it feels like this?’
「I-if it would not be disrespectful, may I examine the young master’s body?」
Either way, since they were bound to me, they could not cause me harm.
Spirit One very carefully entered my body, thoroughly inspecting my insides, and soon came to a conclusion.
「This is most likely… though I cannot be certain, I believe it may be because of Ideation Assimilation.」
‘Ideation Assimilation?’
「Yes. Has the young master never felt it? Unlike your sorcery, doesn’t it sometimes feel as though your inner energy flow is slightly misaligned?」
‘That’s right. I have. But I thought it was because of the difference between sorcery and inner energy.’
Sorcery was always my specialty, so if there was any inconvenience, I could immediately make subtle adjustments.
But since inner energy was new to me, there had been more than a few times when I struggled, not yet fully understanding its nature.
Unlike sorcery, I often felt frustrated that it would not easily follow my will.
That was why, after the duel, when the flow of my inner energy suddenly became as natural as my sorcery, I wanted to identify the reason.
「Inner energy is also called gong power, or karmic power. This is because its depth and quantity vary greatly depending on the level of accumulated power. So once a certain point is passed, the practitioner’s ideation becomes embedded as the very nature of that power.」
‘So inner energy is the same as a practitioner’s ideation. In sorcery, it would be similar to the concept of the original spirit, right?’
「Exactly so. However—」
‘My inner energy was a bit different. It held both Yeon Woon-hwi’s accumulated power and Tang Woon-hwi’s accumulated power.’
「As expected, you are a genius who, upon hearing one thing, can grasp ten—Muniljisip.」
「I shall hold my tongue.」
Now I finally seemed to understand.
‘So the reason my use of inner energy has been awkward all this time was ultimately because the souls were different, right?’
「That seems to be the case.」
‘Then does the fact that it feels natural now mean that Tang Woon-hwi’s accumulated power has merged into Yeon Woon-hwi’s accumulated power?’
「That would not be assimilation, but fusion. And inner energy rarely ever fuses. This is because every person’s soul carries a different disposition.」
If the fusion of inner energy were easy, then those who practiced martial arts of the Absorbing Star Great Technique lineage, which specializes in absorbing inner energy, would have already dominated the world. That was Spirit One’s explanation.
‘So normally, accumulated power doesn’t mix? Then what? How do you explain what I’m experiencing?’
Spirit One couldn’t answer hastily and glanced at me nervously.
‘I won’t hit you, so explain properly. Otherwise, I’ll turn you into a Wraith Ring on the spot.’
「Th-th-that is, it’s n-not certain, b-but it seems the y-young master has a-accepted the c-concept of T-Tang Woon-hwi that you had previously k-kept separated.」
My mind snapped awake.
‘I’ve stopped rejecting the life of Tang Woon-hwi?’
「M-more precisely, you have a-accepted it—」
Now I finally understood.
Until the duel with Tang Gyujin, I had always separated myself from “Tang Woon-hwi” in my thoughts.
I merely observed from the perspective of a third party.
But during the duel, my mindset completely changed.
I had become sincere about martial arts.
Martial arts are one’s very life and mindset—that was Tang Gyujin’s teaching.
And I had accepted that fully.
In other words, within the larger framework of “Yeon Woon-hwi,” “Tang Woon-hwi” was now included.
Simply put, I had devoured him.
A faint laugh slipped out of me.
There was a similar saying in the field of sorcery as well.
—Union of Spirit and Flesh.
To use sorcery more naturally, the body, which serves as the vessel for the soul, also needed to develop further. The synchronization of soul and body was that essential.
And now that I had finally reached that stage, how could I not feel joy?
‘So then, how far along is this Ideation Assimilation, or whatever it’s called?’
「I-it seems the assimilation is proceeding quite actively. At present, it looks to be about four-tenths complete.」
‘The higher the assimilation rate, the faster the martial achievement will be, right?’
‘Good. That’s enough for me.’
Who wouldn’t be pleased at the thought of becoming stronger faster?
Moreover, if the assimilation rate increased, it meant my sorcery would also grow stronger.
Just by training in martial arts, my sorcery would strengthen as well. That only made me want to focus even more.
Good. Training in the staff art should be enough for now.
What should I grasp next?
Just then, one of the weapons hanging on the wall caught my eye.
A weapon used since ancient times, the progenitor of many polearms including the spear.
Spirit One darted quickly and, using telekinesis, floated the spear into my hand.
A martial art suitable for training immediately came to mind.
The Battle-Spear Technique.
An ancient martial art said to have been taught to charioteers who primarily wielded spears before being sent into battle.
Simple, but nothing could be better for training with the spear.
If I mixed in the Sanhwa Staff Technique appropriately, it would become even more effective.
My body moved. My inner energy followed, flowing into the spear, producing a satisfying sound.
It was the sound of Tang Woon-hwi’s spirit breaking through.
Meanwhile, Tang Gyujin was still focused on the question Woon-hwi had thrown at her.
‘He said he just wanted to spar with me?’
Changed far too much, Woon-hwi had.
But if asked whether that was bad, the answer was no.
It was good—better, even.
The Woon-hwi she remembered had been a quiet boy who couldn’t even meet people’s eyes properly.
But now, he could joke casually with her, and even give her such profound resonance.
He was even growing close with Dangon, and through that, forging ties with the Guangpungdae that many had already begun to forget.
Now Woon-hwi knew how to build a fortress of his own.
That was why she thought even more firmly.
She could not allow Woon-hwi’s fortress, which had only just begun to rise, to be torn down.
With this incident as a spark, her mother would surely try to do something to Woon-hwi.
The Namgung Clan, which had been using nephews to swallow up the Nine Dragons Branch and extend its influence even into Sichuan’s Tang Family, would also no doubt try to eliminate Woon-hwi.
Therefore, until his fortress grew taller, broader, and stronger, someone had to guard its gates.
And… she thought, the only one who could do that was herself.
It was at that very moment.
Suddenly, a shiver ran down Tang Gyujin’s back.
The dormant personality of the Blue-faced Demon Tendon awoke.
「Heeheeheehee! What’s there?」
Tang Gyujin’s eyes gleamed coldly as if wearing a demon’s mask, scanning the surroundings.
Woon-hwi, too, seemed to have sensed something and turned his head somewhere.
Run away, Young Sect Master.
Just then, the last words of the Great Spider echoed in Woon-hwi’s ears.
All of a sudden, a thick fog began to rise from the ground beneath their feet.
Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God