Flash―

[Congratulations! You have successfully mastered ‘Heaven-Splitting Divine Arts.’]

As soon as Sungshik exited the passage, a system notification rang out, informing him that he had mastered Heaven-Splitting Divine Arts.

‘Did I... return?’

When Sungshik regained his composure, he found himself in the same kneeling position he had been in before returning. He was still dazed. Just moments ago, he had spent decades in an alternate world resembling the martial arts realm. The sudden return left him feeling a profound sense of disorientation.

However, the confusion was relatively minor because the decades he had spent in that world felt like a fleeting dream, leaving only vague memories.

“I’ve returned.”

Curiously, his once-faded memories of the original world were now crystal clear. The moment when he felt threatened by the mysterious man and entered the secret art of Heaven-Splitting Divine Arts through the blessing of the Heavenly Lake Beast remained vivid. Of course, this vividness was natural, as it had just happened.

Gathering his thoughts, Sungshik decided to check his status window first.

“Status Window―”

• Name: Heo Sungshik
• Title: Hero of Adversity, One Who Has Touched the Threshold of Transcendence―New
• Rank: 4 Stars (★★★★)(↑)
• Combat Power: C+
• Stats: Strength C, Agility C+, Stamina C, Magic D+
• Traits:
  1. [EX Rank] Consumption―LV 4 (↑)
  2. [EX Rank] One More Time (Unavailable)
  3. [EX Rank] Heaven-Splitting Divine Art―LV 1 (New)
  4. [SS Rank] Pocket Watch―LV 3 (↑)
  5. [S Rank] Hyper Perception―LV 3 (↑)
  6. [S Rank] Sword Sovereign―LV 3 (Rank Up)
• Skills:
  1. [S Rank] Insight (Restricted)
  2. [S Rank] Explosive Strike
  3. [No Rank] Translation Skill
  4. [B Rank] Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts (Growth Type)―New
  5. [B Rank] Heaven-Splitting Eyes (Growth Type)―New

“4 Stars?”

He immediately understood why his body felt so light and brimming with power. Compared to the heavenly realm he had just experienced, this was insignificant, but the status window revealed the reason for his newfound strength.

“How did I become 4 Stars so suddenly?”

Sungshik summoned the system notification log to review the details.

[Congratulations! You have fully mastered [EX] Heaven-Splitting Divine Art! Your experience points have broken the limit. Rank Up! You have advanced to 3 Stars.]

[Astonishing Achievement! Through mastering Heaven-Splitting Divine Art, you have reached an incredible state. Massive experience points have been applied. Congratulations! Rank Up! You have advanced to 4 Stars.]

[For achieving an extraordinary accomplishment, the title ‘One Who Has Touched the Threshold of Transcendence’ has been awarded!]

…

…

The notifications kept pouring in.

Upon reviewing the messages, Sungshik could comprehend it all. It wasn’t for nothing that Heaven-Splitting Divine Art was EX Rank.

EX Rank martial arts required specific conditions to be fulfilled for mastery. Sungshik deduced that his trial in the simulated world was a test to determine his qualifications. He had heard in his previous life that such high-ranking traits often came with special tests.

“The bowing gesture was truly a game changer.”

Perhaps the act of bowing had eased his path through the trial. Had he simply picked up the secret manual without performing the bow, he might have started as a slave or beggar, struggling through the entry process of the Heaven-Splitting Sect.

“Thinking back to how others described their hardships in acquiring high-rank traits, it seems entirely plausible.”

Relieved by the thought of what could have gone wrong, Sungshik let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew, jumping from 2 Stars to 4 Stars in one go must be thanks to the pocket watch.”

The Pocket Watch. Even with a large amount of bonus experience from clearing the trial, advancing two ranks at once was likely due to the Pocket Watch’s experience multiplier effect.

‘Additionally, not just the rank-ups but several traits leveled up significantly this time.’

The gains didn’t stop there. His [EX] Consumption trait jumped three levels, and he acquired [EX] Heaven-Splitting Divine Art. The [SS] Pocket Watch and [S] Hyper Perception traits leveled up. Moreover, his [S Rank] Sword Emperor trait, previously [A Rank] Sword Demon, advanced in rank.

“Wow, even for a growth-type trait, jumping from [A] to [S] is no small feat. Incredible.”

He was amazed. For a trait to advance from [A] to [S], it first had to reach max level (Level 7) and then accumulate enough experience to surpass that threshold. That entire process had been accomplished at once.

Sungshik attributed this remarkable progress to spending decades honing his swordsmanship in the alternate world, coupled with the insights gained at the heavenly realm and the Pocket Watch’s buffs.

‘I spent decades with the sword as my constant companion. Plus, I achieved enlightenment in swordsmanship and reached the heavenly realm. Factoring in the Pocket Watch’s buffs, it all makes sense.’

A grin spread across Sungshik’s face. This rapid power-up left him feeling like dancing with joy. He had anticipated it would take at least six more months to reach 4 Stars, but he achieved it in one go. The results exceeded all his expectations.

“Still, it’s a pity. If only the heavenly realm’s power had been fully reflected, I might have been 9 Stars by now.”

The Wall of Despair. The Wall of Transcendence. Even the 11 Thrones, endowed with divine talents, had been thwarted by the 9 Star Wall.

In the martial arts world he had visited, only two individuals throughout history had crossed the heavenly realm’s wall. This insurmountable wall was likely equivalent to the 9 Star Wall.

“If I had brought that power here, the game would’ve been over.”

Still, he had gained something. Having reached the heavenly realm, even in a simulated world, meant that it was no longer an uncharted territory. He could return to it again.

Sighing, he smacked his lips in regret but checked the title he had earned, One Who Has Touched the Threshold of Transcendence.

Title: One Who Has Touched the Threshold of Transcendence

A title granted to those who have reached an unfathomable state beyond the wall. Since it was achieved in a simulated world, the title is downgraded from One Who Has Reached the Threshold of Transcendence to One Who Has Touched the Threshold of Transcendence.

• Effect: The growth speed of Heaven-Splitting Divine Arts increases by 30%.
• Although it was achieved in a simulated world, reaching a remarkable state is an undeniable fact. Traveling a path once makes it easier to tread again. The mastery speed of Heaven-Splitting Divine Arts significantly increases.

“Oh.”

A sigh of admiration escaped him. He hadn’t expected much from the title, but it turned out to be far more satisfying than anticipated.

If the growth acceleration of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Arts skill is increased by 30%, the synergy with the pocket watch's effect would make mastering the Heaven-Splitting Divine Arts skill progress exceptionally fast.

"If this goes well, I might really be able to reach the Hyunkyung realm again by the time I face the Lords of the Night."

This wasn’t an exaggeration. Although his past experience was faint, he had once walked this path. With the addition of such special bonuses, and considering the further spec upgrades he had planned, it seemed entirely possible.

"But what would have happened if I had chosen Ascension to the Immortal Realm in the world of illusion?"

It was a genuine question. Would he have truly ascended to the Immortal Realm if he had made that choice?

What Sungshik didn’t know was that choosing to ascend would not have led to a true Immortal Realm but a false one. It might have taken an immeasurable amount of time to gain true enlightenment and reach the real Immortal Realm—or he might have been forever trapped in that false world.

Ultimately, choosing to return to his original world was a very wise decision.

"Anyway, that’s enough of that. Let’s see, I’ve got some new skills."

By mastering the Heaven-Splitting Divine Art, he had learned two new skills: [B Rank] Heaven-Splitting Eye and [B Rank] Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts.

"Wow, starting at B Rank? This really lives up to being an EX-grade martial art."

Normally, even with an [SSS Rank] martial art trait, the starting rank of learned skills would max out at C Rank.

As martial arts were honed, their levels increased, and the skill ranks would rise accordingly. However, lower-tier martial arts often started at F Rank for skills, and their maximum growth was limited to the rank of the martial art itself.

Thus, it was a given that if the EX-grade Heaven-Splitting Divine Art was mastered, the skills Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts and Heaven-Splitting Eyes would eventually reach EX Rank.

The Heaven-Splitting Eyes granted the power to see the "threads" of things. Controlling the power of "destruction" required the ability to perceive these threads. When viewing objects through the Heaven-Splitting Eyes, weak points in their threads appeared as red dots.

For now, his current level was too low to see clearly, but once he reached mastery, he would be able to discern numerous threads and effortlessly identify an opponent’s weak points.

The Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts consisted of seven forms. For now, he could only use the first three, but he would gradually be able to perform more forms as he advanced.

"Besides, Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts isn’t the kind of martial art that relies on skills like these forms anyway."

Indeed, the Heaven-Splitting Divine Art encompassed a vast array of techniques, including inner energy cultivation, swordsmanship, footwork, palm strikes, and kick techniques.

Mastering the Heaven-Splitting Divine Art trait wasn’t just about forming skills; it meant he could utilize these techniques in actual combat without being bound by skill effects.

"Damn, this is a jackpot. The Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts really is an EX-grade martial art. But why did the Martial Emperor give up on it?"

The Martial Sovereign had failed to properly pass the trial of Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts. Without becoming a first-generation disciple or a high-ranking member of the Heaven-Splitting Sect, he couldn’t fully learn the original form of the Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts. Thus, he found no significant merit in it compared to his existing martial arts.

If the Martial Emperor had chosen to train in the Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts at that time, he might have eventually had the chance to master the EX-grade Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts. However, not knowing this, he gave it up.

At that moment, the altar where the secret manual of Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts had been placed began to tremble, splitting in half. From between the cracks, a sword emerged.

[The Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword is bestowed upon the inheritor of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Arts.]

"What?!"

The unexpected appearance of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword. It was unmistakably the sword Sungshik had used in the other world.

[Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword]
Rank: Mythical
Description: The divine sword of the Heaven-Splitting Sect, steeped in the myth of splitting the heavens. It is an indestructible sword imbued with mythical energy.
Attack Power: C (proportional to the mastery of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Art)
Options: Increases the power of Heaven-Splitting martial arts by 5% (proportional), Strength and Magic Power +5% (proportional), ? / ? / ? / ? / ?
(The options unlock as the mastery of the Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts increases.)

"Amazing."

A mythical-grade, growth-type weapon. When he used it in the other world, it was merely a legendary-grade sword, and neither its attack power nor its options scaled proportionally. It seemed that the passage of time had accumulated mythical elements, elevating it to a mythical weapon.

"Thank you. I will surely save this world."

After checking the options of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword, Sungshik knelt and bowed deeply toward the altar in gratitude. With this sword, there was no longer a need to seek another weapon.

"Wow, is it okay for things to go this well? It feels so good it’s almost suspicious."

Just moments ago, encountering that lunatic Li Xiaoguang had left him feeling defeated by his bad luck. But since then, everything had gone so smoothly it left him dumbfounded.

"Oh, and there’s the He Shou Wu too. I’ll safely consume that when I get back."

The miraculous elixir, He Shou Wu! Sungshik’s good fortune didn’t end there.

Sungshik safely exited the secret chamber. When he decided to leave, the altar split apart, creating a portal for him.

He worried about running into Li Xiaoguang again, but fortunately, he emerged far away on a remote hill near Baekdu Mountain. The most concerning part of leaving the chamber was resolved.

"What happened to that beast and Li Xiaoguang, though?"

Curious about the outcome of their battle, he wasn’t willing to risk his life to confirm it.

"That beast saved my life and helped me obtain the Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts. Since it was just an avatar, even if it lost, its main body shouldn’t be too affected."

He decided he would express his gratitude if he ever had the chance to return.

"Also, if it weren’t for the Reverse-use Ring I got from Yun Gardes, I’d be in serious trouble."

If he had exposed his bare face to that maniac Li Xiaoguang, he might have spent his life fearing when the man would come after him. The item he had prepared merely to conceal his identity for the academy had saved him from disaster.

"This must be what they call foresight."

Praising himself, Sungshik began his covert journey south. Fortunately, he returned to the academy without further incident.

Not long after his return, an opportunity arose for Sungshik to test his newly gained strength.