Chapter 561

Chapter 561: The Lazy One Who Awakened (1)

“Poison Demon and Death Demon.”

“That’s right.”

Gwanggu Shingae shook his head.

“How much do you really know about the Bishops?”

“I don’t know exactly. In fact, the information remaining about the Demon Cult are just stories passed down orally. All the documents that could explain exactly what kind of beings they were have disappeared, haven’t they?”

“Correct.”

“So I don’t know that information well. I can only speculate. I only know that the Bishops represent the strongest of the Demon Cult.”

Gwanggu Shingae nodded.

“It’s not entirely incorrect, but it’s not entirely true either.”

An ambiguous answer.

“Because in the Demon Cult there are many who are stronger than the Bishops.”

“Huh?”

“The title of Bishop is not simply a ranking of the strongest in the Demon Cult, as is commonly believed. There are many factors involved. In the case of Poison Demon, there are probably many who are not Bishops but could face him without problems. However, the important thing is his skill with poison. No one else can face so many enemies simultaneously in a war like he can.”

“That’s true.”

Since ancient times, poison has been extremely useful in war.

A Historian who has studied the history of war would know that fact very well.

“In the end, the Bishops are positions occupied by those recognized by the Cult. Even if someone has exceptional martial skills, if those skills don’t benefit the Cult, they cannot become a Bishop. Do you understand what this means?”

“…I’m not sure.”

“The Bishops of the Demon Cult are meticulously filled by those who are useful for war. So imagine how terrifying they must be, one by one.”

The Historian nodded.

“It’s definitely like that.”

“When I first saw the Insane Demon, I felt that. He was too strong. And terrifying. As the Little Beggar of the Beggar Sect, I had some confidence in myself, but even I felt genuine fear towards the Demon Cult.”

A fleeting expression of terror appeared on Gwanggu Shingae’s face. Despite all the time that had passed, it seemed that the memory of that moment was still vivid.

“So I still can’t forget what happened then.”

“When you say ‘what happened then’…”

“The Great Battle of Luoyang.”

“Ah…”

The Great Battle of Luoyang.

The event where Wei Yanho saved the headquarters of the Righteous Martial Alliance from the crisis and made a name for himself in the world.

“Come to think of it, it must have been something shocking.”

Gwanggu Shingae gave a peculiar smile.

“The person you are now couldn’t understand that impact.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you already knew of the existence of Wei Yanho, the Radiant Martial Sovereign, before you knew about the Great Battle of Luoyang.”

“…”

“Knowing about someone and knowing their exploits after they’ve happened is completely different from witnessing how those exploits unfold before your eyes.”

“It’s definitely like that.”

The Historian couldn’t help but admit it.

He already knew that Wei Yanho had saved the world. So it was natural to think that Wei Yanho would defeat the Bishops.

But what would it have been like for Gwanggu Shingae?

He didn’t know who Wei Yanho would become in the future. Besides, he had already seen Wei Yanho be defeated once by a Bishop. For him, wouldn’t it have been incredible to see Wei Yanho defeat the Bishops?

“I think I understand how you felt.”

“Huh?”

Gwanggu Shingae let out a mocking laugh.

“Are you thinking that I was surprised that Wei Yanho defeated the Bishops?”

“…Wasn’t it like that?”

“I already knew that that guy could face a Bishop. When he fought the Insane Demon, for a moment, he managed to match him. Although it wasn’t the Insane Demon’s full strength.”

“That’s true.”

“How much stronger do you think Wei Yanho became after that? I could imagine it. Seeing his achievements, anyone could predict it. He became stronger. Much stronger. Immensely stronger. But…”

Gwanggu Shingae shook his head.

“That wasn’t it.”

“Huh?”

“Everyone thought they knew, but no one really understood. How strong Wei Yanho was. Even we underestimated him. Do you know what we underestimated?”

“The Radiant Martial Sovereign.”

“Incorrect.”

“…”

The Historian felt it was hard to follow the conversation. Gwanggu Shingae kept playing with his words.

“Then?”

Gwanggu Shingae took a drink of wine. After wetting his throat and licking his dry lips, he continued.

“We always overlooked one thing. We became obsessed with the fact that Wei Yanho was strong. So we didn’t perceive the true power of the person we should have recognized.”

“The person we should have recognized?”

“The Sword Emperor. Wei Yanho’s master.”

“Ah…”

Gwanggu Shingae clicked his tongue.

“When I learned that Wei Yanho was the disciple of the Sword Emperor, I thought, ‘Ah, that’s why he’s so strong. If he’s the disciple of the Sword Emperor, it makes sense that he’s so powerful’.”

The Historian frowned.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s wrong. Very wrong.”

It was an incomprehensible statement. What was wrong with it?

“No one really knew what kind of being the Sword Emperor was.”

“…”

“If you had known what the Sword Emperor was like and then had seen Wei Yanho, what would you have said?”

“Like father, like son?”

“No. You probably would have said, ‘How is it possible that under the tutelage of the Sword Emperor such a mediocre disciple has emerged?’ Of course, you wouldn’t have said it directly in front of him.”

“…Mediocre?”

The Historian let out an incredulous laugh.

Mediocre.

As much as Gwanggu Shingae seemed to have resentment towards the Radiant Martial Sovereign, this was beyond a joke.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?”

“It’s not an insult.”

Gwanggu Shingae’s voice was firm.

“We thought he was strong. We believed that Wei Yanho possessed a strength that transcended common sense. And it was true. If he wasn’t the disciple of the Sword Emperor.”

The Historian found it hard to understand Gwanggu Shingae’s words. What did it change that he was the disciple of the Sword Emperor?

“If the Sword Emperor had decided to teach Wei Yanho with all his will, Wei Yanho should have been several times stronger. From the moment he left the cave, he should have had the power to dominate the martial world.”

“What?”

The Historian showed his confusion, but Gwanggu Shingae continued.

“But we didn’t know. We didn’t know how strong the Sword Emperor was. He was already a figure from three hundred years ago. His name had been passed down as a legend, but no one could really understand why he was called the greatest of all time, nor how terrifying that title was.”

“Ah…”

Finally, the Historian understood Gwanggu Shingae’s words.

Humans need a standard to measure. The Sword Emperor was considered the strongest in history. But how could future generations know exactly how strong he was?

At best, they would think he was a little stronger than the current strongest in the world. But the Sword Emperor was a being in a completely different dimension from the other experts of his time.

Now we can understand it. Because we have a reference. But back then, it couldn’t be done. The Sword Emperor was too strong. During his time, no one in the world dared to face him.

If they tried, it was a single blow.

A third-class martial artist: one blow. The second best swordsman in the world: one blow.

So it was impossible to measure his level. To do so, many martial artists of the time would have to join forces, but the Sword Emperor was not someone who sought conflict, and that was impossible.

So people only had a vague notion that he was strong, without really knowing how strong he was.

“It was only after seeing him later that we understood. How strong the Sword Emperor was. Only then did we know. So the question arose: why was Wei Yanho so weak?”

It was a strange feeling.

Saying that the Radiant Martial Sovereign was weak.

That he had a bad character, or that he lacked thought.

All the insults and curses in the world suited Wei Yanho, but saying he was weak didn’t fit him.

“It was then that we knew what the Sword Emperor had done to Wei Yanho.”

The Historian swallowed.

“With five years, the Sword Emperor could have made anyone the strongest in the world. Even if it wasn’t Wei Yanho, but a simple farmer, in five years he could have made him the strongest in the world.”

“Is that possible? Martial arts aren’t something that simple.”

“For anyone else, it would be impossible. But for the Sword Emperor, yes. His martial arts had reached the heavens.”

“…”

“But, did the Sword Emperor spend five years training Wei Yanho, a guy whose talent was not only overflowing but rotting, and only achieved that? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Then…”

Gwanggu Shingae nodded.

“The Sword Emperor wanted Wei Yanho to surpass him. For that, he needed a foundation. A broad and deep foundation. The Sword Emperor dedicated those five years to building Wei Yanho’s foundation. A foundation that would allow him, someday, to build a tower high enough to surpass him.”

The Historian’s eyes trembled.

“And to make sure that foundation wasn’t in vain, he left him with one more thing.”

“Are you referring to the ‘Dream Training’?”

“Yes, exactly. The ‘Dream Training’ wasn’t to teach Wei Yanho. It was a martial art to make sure he never stopped. Every time he slept, Wei Yanho had to keep practicing. No matter the efficiency, it was enough. Because, to break free from the ‘Dream Training’, Wei Yanho couldn’t leave the martial arts. Only by holding the edge of the martial, the tower would continue to be built.”

“…I don’t understand it at all. Is it possible for a human to achieve that?”

Gwanggu Shingae shook his head.

“He wasn’t human.”

“…”

“He was the embodiment of the martial in human form. Something that the human mind cannot comprehend or imagine. We can only accept it.”

The Historian’s face turned serious.

So, how strong was the Sword Emperor really?

“The Sword Emperor prepared everything. He built the foundation and allowed the tower to rise. Only one thing was missing: Wei Yanho’s will. That guy wasn’t diligent enough to practice martial arts on his own. Even taking that into account, the Sword Emperor trained him. So that, even if this Lazy one spent his whole life being Lazy, someday he could reach him.”

“Ah…”

“But then the Demon Cult resurfaced, and Wei Yanho could no longer remain Lazy. He practiced martial arts, reflected, trained.”

Gwanggu Shingae spoke with a strange expression.

“And then, he exploded.”

“He exploded?”

“Yes. All the accumulated martial art, Wei Yanho, who had been staggering without knowing which way to go, finally found his own path. And then, he soared rapidly. And that…”

Gwanggu Shingae curved his lips.

“It was a disgrace for the two Bishops. Listen carefully. What Wei Yanho did at that time…”

The Historian lost track of everything and immersed himself in Gwanggu Shingae’s words.