1.
"I expected as much."
I began the conversation like that.
"You have already, several times, talked mysteriously about the 99th floor—"
Let me correct myself.
I was about to start with that.
"Shut up, you zombie! Eat this first!"
The clouds floating in the sky split into two.
The sky then split next. Following the straight line of the split sky, a crack formed in the void. The straight line led towards me and rapidly thickened.
I exclaimed,
"Oh, sh…!"
The moment I raised my dagger, a loud boom resounded.
Bang…!
The aura infused in the dagger flickered out like a fire hit by sand. I desperately tried to inject more aura through the handle, but soon realized I was engaging in folly.
"Aaaargh!"
It was like trying to hold up a shield against an incoming tsunami. One might call such a person a Don Quixote rather than a hero. From the perspective of someone who was once called a hero, at least achieving some meaningful result is the bare minimum.
"Eek,"
If so—
"Stop, just stooooop!!"
I groaned as I sidestepped with the dagger in my hand.
As the angle of entry shifted, the strike from the Sword Emperor also became somewhat disrupted. As massive as it was, letting it pass was no use in stopping it, but at least it gave me a moment to breathe, and frankly, that was enough.
I shouted.
"Do it!!"
The ground swayed and shook.
The roots spread beneath it, the grass that grew on it, sunflowers, anemones, lilies, marsh-marigolds, hepaticas, starflowers, touch-me-nots, sneezeweeds, and morning glories all shook together. Pollen scattered. Vitality and the will to live overflowed.
On this trembling ground, however, I was unshaken. Firmly, I stood there.
What I envisioned was not a pillar but a great tree.
A World Tree.
I imagined roots sprouting from beneath my feet. Those roots stretched deep, very deep, and widely, boundlessly wide. Even if the ground shook, I would not be shaken because my roots reached to the opposite end of the shaking. Not only was I unshaken, but the shaking of the ground itself was due to the vibrations of my roots.
I absorbed.
The scattered vitality, nutrients spread throughout the ground, grains stored in the nests of termites, a single breath of an unknown insect that had fallen into winter sleep, I absorbed them. Like a waterfall flowing in reverse into me, the energy surged in, yet I did not store it, but let it flow toward one place, my left hand gripping the dagger.
Now, I was a waterway.
Immense energy passed through me towards the dagger I held.
It exploded.
Bang…!
The strike from the Sword Emperor that came from the sky was repelled by the strike that burst forth from the ground.
The Sword Emperor spun around like a spring butterfly, rotating and lightly stepping on a blade of grass before stopping.
"That's right."
The Sword Emperor grinned.
"You've learned to handle external energy."
"What are you doing!"
I exclaimed indignantly.
The Sword Emperor, without losing his smile, said,
"Well done."
"Huh? No, I mean, it's a bit embarrassing to be praised like that… I've only been practicing what you taught in the Golden Heaven World and the hints you openly gave on the 91st floor. No, no, that's not it. Why would you attack out of the blue—"
"Knowing and using are different things. I thought maybe you wouldn't know how to apply it in a real situation since it's your undertaking."
"Oh, really…"
I scratched the back of my head.
"When I think about it, there were plenty of hints even before you told me."
"...."
"To manifest energy, the usual way is to accumulate internal energy. And the most commonly used method to accumulate that internal energy is to sit cross-legged in a place with good water and air and meditate."
These are commonly known as [Qi Circulation Techniques], [Accumulation Techniques], or [Internal Power Heart Methods].
"In essence, the majority of the qi (氣) that martial artists use is originally absorbed from the outside. They digest and purify these and finally melt them into what is known as [internal power]."
Turning the external qi into my own.
This is the essence of Internal Power Heart Methods, and items like millennium ginseng, thousand-year Polygonum multiflorum, mystic stone oil, medicines made by an alchemist, and that giant turtle made almost entirely of aura, function as spiritual medicines because of this process.
"But the world and I are not disconnected."
In the Demonic Faction, [I] am [the rope that weaves the world together].
In the Righteous Faction, [I] am separate from each thing in the world, but precisely because of this, [I am also part of the ends of the world].
Subjectification and objectification. The strengths and weaknesses of each are evident in the martial arts of each faction.
It is often thought that the Demonic Faction easily ascends to a certain realm but struggles beyond that, while it is difficult for the Righteous Faction to reach a certain realm, yet the number of masters who have surpassed the extremes is greater in the Righteous Faction.
"Therefore, there is no need to obsess over cultivating [my internal power] within me."
As I said this, I withdrew the imagery of the roots that had spread beneath my feet.
"No matter how much I cultivate the internal power within me, even if I cultivate it to the point of complete transformation and rebirth, there is a limit to the [vessel] that is [me]."
As the image of the roots was withdrawn, the pathway that had been absorbing the external qi closed.
"Rather, it is more efficient to make [me] into [a single pathway]."
Naturally, the world's fierce qi that had been flowing through my body towards the dagger also scattered.
"Of course, to make [the pathway] sturdy, I need to become somewhat sturdy myself."
I took a deep breath.
The internal qi that had been drained out with the external energy was replenished by the true origin energy, like a vessel.
"That too is not a necessary condition."
I looked at the Sword Emperor.
"That's exactly why, Master, was able to split a snowy mountain even without a single speck of internal power."
"That's right."
The Sword Emperor nodded.
"There are two core structures in Internal Power Heart Methods. [Meditation] and [Circulation]. Whether it's Nine Yang Divine Art , Purple Dew Heart Method , or Valkenheim Style Mana Cultivation Method, the depth of immersive meditation and a pathway that carries the qi. These two elements are essential."
"...."
"Meditation is for absorbing external qi into myself. By deeply understanding the world, I break down the boundaries between myself and the world, allowing me to absorb energy from the entire world. Circulation is for guiding the qi absorbed this way to the dantian. As you just said, I increase my own qi by blending and melting it with the qi I had already possessed."
Sword Emperor summoned a slice of the severed cloud and sat on it, raising a finger.
"However, if you truly understand this, if you can break down the barriers between the world and yourself in any situation by immersing in deep meditation, and if you can directly transport the world's qi to wherever you want, then [your own internal energy] is not needed."
The Sword Emperor said calmly.
"That is the essence of the heart sword."
This sequence of processes contained no grand ideologies, no abstract figurations, and no inscrutable mysteries.
Once the premises are known, they naturally become logically possible.
Such is the secret of all magic.
"Have you been here all along?"
"Yeah."
The Sword Emperor crossed his arms and laughed.
"My ghosts that were attached to you and the old man… Hmm. I do control them, but this is even harder to explain than the heart sword."
"Please explain it anyway."
"Let me show you."
With that, the Sword Emperor flicked his finger.
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[Sword Constellation – Root (本)]
Rank: A+
Effect: You can create your living spirit to provide advice to those climbing the Tower. Whisper your experiences of ascending to the 99th floor in their ears. Those who receive your advice will be astonished by your profound knowledge to the point of shrieking.
※ However, the person must possess a corresponding skill to this one. Otherwise, no one will be able to perceive you.
※ Synchronization between you and your living spirit(s) occurs at specific intervals. Typically, this is daily, but depending on the tiers the advisee is climbing, it can be shorter or longer.
※ The knowledge applied to your living spirit(s) can be distorted or edited during the process of traversing the Tower. This alternative guideline is determined by the pillar meeting.
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Indeed.
I understood.
"Like a chat program where the message doesn't go directly to the other person but first passes through a [server]. The message you send through is also censored while passing through the Tower as a [server]."
"Similar. Uh, what do you call it? Rather than a chat program—"
"Ah. Is it closer to [Puppeteer's Parade] which shares memories? No, rather than sharing memories…."
"Yes. It's like pasting my memories to create them. Memories of avatars created that way are periodically synchronized and absorbed. Then updated again by pasting. But in that process, there's censorship by the Tower, and since it doesn't happen in real-time…"
It reminded me of when Sword Emperor's avatar looked puzzled right after being copied from the Sword Saint.
Indeed, it must have been as absurd as waking up in another world.
"Even when I was getting thrashed by Fox…"
"Yeah. Because there is a process of syncing at regular intervals, I realized something was odd quite early on."
But with the time lag, and the double memory manipulation by Fox and the Tower, it meant he had indirectly helped in that way.
I was completely convinced.
"Well, then besides you and Sword Saint, there might be others you are attached to…"
"Want to know?"
"No. Honestly, I'm curious, but I won't ask. Because."
I took out a new roll of duct tape and began re-wrapping the worn-out handle due to the recent skirmish.
"The fact that you're here means I came in first anyway."
Sword Emperor's smile deepened.
That was sufficient as an answer, so I posed the next question.
"What's the quest on the 99th floor?"
"What do you think?"
"Not sure."
I rubbed my chin.
Looking around, the brilliant flower garden welcomed me as always.
Despite both Sword Emperor and I having just drawn and used the external energy, the world's qi, from our recent skirmish, there was no change as if scooping a spoonful of water from the sea. It wasn't just because the external qi we used was being returned to the world.
That much powerful world drew my gaze naturally back to Sword Emperor and it stopped there.
I smiled.
"Shall we have a go and finish it?"
Sword Emperor smiled too.
"You've grown a lot, our little zombie."
"I'm in my growth phase."
"Aren't you actually more of an uncle than me now?"
"Try calling me Gong-ja Ahjussi."
"Zombie ajusshi."
"Given your childishness, I definitely seem more of an adult here…."
"Ajusshi. Shall we have a go?"
"Oh, geez."
By then, I had finished wrapping the duct tape around the dagger's handle. Tearing the tape with my teeth, I said,
"So, what is it? What is this ninth key that keeps someone like you nailed here on the 99th floor for over a hundred years?"
Just as I said that, the quest window popped up.
+
[The Ninth Key]
Do you remember the moment you first entered the Tower?
+
The Sword Emperor must have seen this quest window several times before. However, it was my first time seeing it.
I read the following sentences.
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What was in your heart when you entered the Tower?
What was the first skill you acquired?
What were you trying to prove?
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The Sword Emperor had his arms crossed.
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There is a man here. He said that everyone could become like him. Therefore, his last key must naturally be for someone to become like him.
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I was reading the quest window.
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There is a man here. He asked if he could become like someone else. Therefore, his final key must naturally be the someone he wants to become.
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The quest window was speaking.
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Thus, here and now.
Finally, there are two men.
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I looked at the Sword Emperor.
The Sword Emperor was looking at me.
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Your key is each other.
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In the next moment, the world resonated loudly.