The Undying Master was silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke:
"All martial arts under the heavens originate from jing (essence), qi (energy), and shen (spirit). And the three pinnacle masters of each are: the current Bodhidharma, the Dao Patriarch, and the Sage."
"Bodhidharma emphasized the mind as the root, with all things as its support—that's the peak of shen."
"The Dao Patriarch's 'harmonize with light, merge with dust' treated the self as equal to all—this is the pinnacle of jing."
"The Sage's 'boundless righteous qi'—where one's moral resolve shakes the heavens even as the world crumbles—is the peak of qi."
"As for strength… all three of them are stronger than me, and in terms of comprehension, I can't even see their shadows."
The Undying Master was humble and clear-headed. He knew he was no match, and he didn't pretend otherwise.
"Then? Do you have any special insights into the fusion of jing, qi, and shen?"
Kei pressed further.
The Undying Master looked into Kei's eyes, swallowed hard, and after some more thought, answered honestly:
"No. My understanding of martial arts isn't that deep. No matter how much I ponder, I can't go beyond the insights of those three."
"But… I did come to a realization."
"And that is?"
"You didn't come here to ask me anything—you came to steal my temple's secret techniques, didn't you?!"
"Yup, I'm here to steal your martial arts."
Kei grinned, completely open about it.
"Then you should've just said so! I'll let you read them right now!"
The Undying Master grumbled internally. It was just books, after all—no need to make a big fuss. He led Kei into the inner study, where countless books, scrolls, and silk manuscripts were stacked.
These were treasures passed down for a thousand years!
"Didn't expect you to be this generous. I thought you'd be the type to hide this stuff."
"It's just paper. And martial arts are in decline. In a few more years…"
"These treasures in our eyes will just be junk no one wants—even if given away for free."
Though still young, the Undying Master saw the truth: in a time of peace, few were willing to endure the pain of martial training. Why spend decades mastering martial arts when a gun or a dose of enhancement serum would do more?
"Exactly. But even so, some would rather burn these texts than pass them down."
Kei shook his head. That was why he had to provoke people into handing over their true teachings.
He began rapidly flipping through the texts. With just one glance, he could memorize and learn the techniques instantly.
"Immovable King Form!"
"Secret Art: Divine Avatar!"
"This is… a vajra scepter technique!"
The Undying Master watched in awe as manifestations of techniques appeared all over Kei's body, muttering the names in disbelief.
"The Dāyèsà Demon Sutra?!"
"The top secret of the Tibetan sect! It converts rage, hate, and every negative emotion into an external avatar under your control!"
"To learn that, one must be deeply versed in Buddhist scriptures…"
The Undying Master suddenly understood why the greats like Bodhidharma, the Dao Patriarch, and the Sage had once welcomed Kei—they saw in him a blazing sun, the last and greatest beacon in this declining martial era.
He watched Kei absorb one ultimate technique after another, and couldn't help but be moved. His talent… was overwhelming.
"Fine, if I must die, so be it. But if I can witness this monstrous genius with my own eyes before I go—it's worth it."
Stripping off his loose robes, revealing his lean and muscled body, the Undying Master readied himself. This battle would be a test for himself—and a demonstration to help Kei truly grasp the essence of Tibetan martial arts.
One full day and night later, Kei finished reading.
He had now filled the final missing piece in his martial knowledge. He rose, eyes flashing with unprecedented brilliance.
"Please."
The Undying Master knew the time had come. With no hesitation, he clenched his fist—his inner power shaped like a vajra scepter—and struck at Kei's chest.
And in that moment—he felt like he had fallen into a bottomless abyss. His strength was absorbed, dispersed. It was as if he himself would be swallowed whole.
"Furious Vajra!"
He roared. A giant golden avatar enshrouded him—his power surged again. He retreated, then activated his strongest technique—
"Wheel of Time Vajra: Golden Buddha Body!"
He burned his own lifespan to summon a massive Thousand-Armed Buddha behind him, more real than ever before.
"Still young… and already burning!"
Another mouthful of blood, and the Buddha's hands were now armed with a thousand weapons.
"A true martial artist never backs down. Even knowing I'll lose—I still fight!"
Kei found himself truly enjoying the spirit of martial arts. That unyielding spirit—it resonated with him.
"But I can't let you burn your life away. Your disciple's waiting for you."
Then, Kei's form began to expand—until he became a colossal, shining, golden giant towering into the heavens.
He lifted a single finger, casually shattered the attack, and even restored the Undying Master's lifespan.
"Cough! Cough!"
The old master staggered, coughing blood—eyes wide with disbelief.
"Y-You… that was the legendary secret—Heaven and Earth Manifestation?!"
The technique mimics the sky and earth, turning one's body into the embodiment of the world itself. From others' perspective, Kei looked unimaginably massive, like a walking cosmos.
But from his perspective, he hadn't changed size—he had merely linked with the heavens. To others, it was as though they were looking up at the sky and down at the earth.
"It's not Heaven and Earth Manifestation—it's that I am the heaven and the earth. In this space, I am the master of reality."
"The Dao Patriarch also lost to this technique."
Kei returned to normal. The move was extremely draining—his stomach grumbled.
"Oh right. One more move—something I realized from your texts."
He summoned a blade, slashed, and—
BOOM!
All the mountains in the surrounding region were leveled. The skies cleared for tens of thousands of meters. A path of destruction remained.
"I-I'm not hurt?"
The Undying Master checked himself. No damage, even though the sword had clearly landed.
"How?"
"Why must sword techniques use a sword? Why must punches be thrown with fists?"
"In the end, it's all just form. And if all forms are born of jing, qi, shen, then why be limited?"
"Your sect teaches to imagine and summon deities—but that's just your mind's projection, not real gods."
"I realized then… my moves can be anything I imagine. That sword strike just now? I didn't want to kill you—so it won't kill you."
"Probably won't explode until… I dunno, a few decades from now."
Kei rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"GET OUT! Get out, you heretic! What do you mean, there are no gods?! You've defiled our sacred texts!"
The Undying Master snapped. He grabbed a broom and chased Kei out of the temple, ranting all the way:
"You're a disaster! You'll get divine punishment!"
"See? You're the same as all the others. How am I a heretic? Didn't I win the fight?"
"If I won, that means I was right!"
Kei grumbled as he walked away.
The Undying Master stared at his back, then glanced back at the shattered Buddha statue in the room… and paused.
"So what if there are no gods? We martial artists… need no gods."
He picked up the broken statue and threw it into the trash. And in that moment, his martial insight took another leap forward.
Months later, Nima returned home—and was shocked to see all the Buddha statues gone. In their place—computers, TVs… even some questionable anime posters.
"Master, no!! You've fallen!!"
"You're not going back to being a recluse monk—now you're just a… shut-in otaku!!"
Nima bawled. She thought leaving had broken her master beyond repair.
"Don't cry, child."
"I just don't need the statues anymore. I spent decades chanting to them… and I got tired."
"You wanted a computer, didn't you? Well, I got one."
He showed her around proudly, then pointed to where the giant Buddha used to be.
"This…"
"A photo of you and me. You were little—I raised you."
"I wanted to include your grandmaster too, but I lost his photo. So it's just us."
He wiped a bit of dust off the frame. Seeing Nima's smile in the picture made him smile, too.
"Is it okay to place our photo where the Buddha was?"
"Why not? You're what I cherish most. Who else should I honor?"
[Over the following months, your title as the Disaster Demon King spread across the martial world.]
[Feared for your unpredictability—respected for your talent, strength, and broad-mindedness.]
[Your influence changed people. Martial artists stopped hoarding secrets and began passing them down.]
[As long as there are people willing to learn, then let the art be taught—who cares who the student is?]
[A month passed. Bodhidharma passed away. Word was, he died from internal injuries from your battle.]
The Undying Master brought Nima to attend the funeral and asked the abbot what had really happened.
"The master died smiling, wearing nothing but the same tattered robe he descended the mountain with long ago."
"One man, one robe, one bowl, one heart of compassion. That was all he needed."
"The ornate robes we monks wear are chains. Your disciple shattered those chains. And so… he smiled."
The abbot had been present during the duel. He knew Bodhidharma wasn't angry over technique. He simply wanted to experience Kei's wild, unbound aura for himself. And in his final moments, he glimpsed the realm of the super divine.
He died happy.
[Two weeks later—the Dao Patriarch passed away.]
People said Kei literally angered him to death. But when the Undying Master asked the current Daoist leader…
"He died smiling."
"He carried a lifelong regret from his youth… haunted by guilt and pain."
"But Kei's move showed him—while the world's will cannot be reversed, it can be resisted."
"Even if you still lose, at least you fought—and won't regret doing nothing."
"He let it all out—his grief, his regret. He saw the super divine path—and passed with peace."
The Undying Master nodded. He understood. Enlightenment often came in the final moments.
"But why haven't I glimpsed that path?"
"Must be because I'm not dying anytime soon…"
Then, he went to pay a visit to the Sage…
(End of Chapter)
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