REAPER SCANS
The Martial God Who Regressed to Level 2
[Translator – SCM]
[Proofreader – ilafy]
Chapter 257
After he left the Thunder God’s domain, JiHan sat in the Sword Palace’s penthouse and blankly stared at the cover of the book Pythia had given him.
'Purple Cloud Divine Arts…' He searched for information on the technique the book mentioned before opening it and found that it was a higher Ki Mind Technique of the Mount Hua Sect.
'Does Dongfang also know the martial arts of the Mount Hua Sect?' The Wudang Sect, Demonic Cult, and Mount Hua Sect… It seemed that there was nothing he didn't know.
JiHan opened the book.
[Planet 'Earth' isn't a suitable place to unveil Dongfang’s Divine Arts.]
A system message appeared over the book, interrupting his reading. 'I can’t unveil it on Earth…? Could I do it in the training ground?' Even though he’d just returned, it seemed that he’d have to leave again.
He checked the date. 'I can stay in the training ground for six days.' With that decided, he entered and opened the book again.
Swoosh—
White smoke rose from the first page, and Dongfang revealed himself.
"I didn't expect you to come in person," JiHan said.
"I'm not Dongfang Shuo himself. I'm just a clone who will pass on a portion of the martial arts," Dongfang’s clone said.
"Aah. Is the Purple Cloud Divine Arts a secret technique?"
"Yes."
JiHan swiftly flipped through the book. The book's cover was old, but the inside was filled with crisp, white paper. Not a single word was written inside.
"It's nice to be taught directly," JiHan said.
"Is there a need to pass on knowledge through words in times like these, or do you prefer a more old-fashioned way of learning?"
JiHan shrugged. "I'm not well-versed in Chinese anyway."
"Yes. This is why it's better to teach directly."
"Why are you suddenly passing on a technique to me?"
Dongfang Shuo's clone stroked his beard. "The main body subjugated the Thunder God not long ago."
"I see."
"You talk as if you weren't involved. Weren't you there? The red lightning kept regenerating."
"Can't a being like the Thunder God easily recreate something like the red lightning?" JiHan asked. He had received the book from Pythia in the Thunder God's domain, but he decided to play dumb for the moment.
"Haha… You're trying to act ignorant when I already know everything."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Never mind. Anyway, back to the main point. The main body saw something he couldn't understand."
"What was that?"
"That red lightning." Dongfang’s clone mentioned what had happened in the lightning wall. "The master took away the techniques of many Thunder Gods, but he didn't take yours."
"That's surprising," JiHan agreed.
"Why didn't he take it? Although the red lightning is excellent, it wasn't that the Wandering Martial God couldn't absorb it. If he'd absorbed and used the red lightning, he wouldn't have needed to use Longinus's spear. I couldn't understand."
JiHan nodded at that statement. Dongfang Shuo was mentioning something he also couldn’t understand. The Wandering Martial God could replicate most beings' powers just by seeing them once, but he hadn't tried to absorb JiHan's technique for some reason.
"Why do you think he did that?" JiHan asked.
"I've thought of a few possibilities. First, the red lightning isn't worth learning."
"If that were the case, he wouldn't have needed to use Longinus's spear. He could have simply pushed the lightning aside."
Dongfang nodded. "That's right. The red lightning was certainly worth absorbing. That's why we must move to the next hypothesis."
"What is that?"
"It's easy." Dongfang pointed at JiHan. "Sung JiHan, you're a rival competing for Martial Soul, so maybe he can't use his power to copy yours."
"Hmm. Since we both have Martial Soul, we can't copy each other…?"
"Right. If that's the case, though, I'm not sure how you knew about master's powers to begin with… but based on that assumption, I decided to conduct a test."
"Do you mean the Purple Cloud Divine Arts?"
Dongfang Shuo nodded. "Yes. The Purple Cloud Divine Arts… This is a valuable technique that should tempt the Wandering Martial God…"
"I heard this is a technique of the Mount Hua Sect. Is it that remarkable?" JiHan asked.
"The only thing it has in common with the Mount Hua Sect is the name. This is a technique that I developed over many years—it's a technique that can control the void."
"The void…?" JiHan's eyes widened. A technique that controls the void… Even if it was Dongfang Shuo, it was incredible… 'Isn't Dongfang the real Wandering Martial God?' Compared to the Wandering Martial God, who could only copy others, Dongfang seemed closer to the definition of a ‘martial god’.
"This technique is something that my master would covet more than anything… but if you use it and he can't copy it, then my hypothesis is correct," the clone explained.
"That makes sense, but if this martial art is something that he covets so much, then why hasn't he copied it yet?"
"That’s simple… It’s a technique I never revealed. It’s still incomplete, after all.”
"Incomplete…?"
Dongfang’s clone stroked his beard. "That's right. To use the Purple Cloud Divine Arts, one must have a lot of the void’s power… but wouldn't my eternal life disappear in that case? The only reason I've been working as a servant for thousands of years is for eternal life. I can't give up on that to complete a technique."
"So it’s something you simply imagined without testing…?" JiHan asked.
"Well, I've gone through all the experiments in my mind."
There was no wonder someone who’d previously asked him to be a junior was willing to pass down the technique so easily.
When the clone saw JiHan’s skeptical look, his eyebrows twitched. "You don't trust me?" he asked.
"How could I? After all, it's a technique created through someone's imagination."
"I created it, didn't I? So it's perfect."
"…"
"Don't worry about that. Just focus on learning it. What's the worst that could happen? If it doesn't work out, then don't use it. You're too worried for someone who already uses the void."
Right, he could just not use it. 'It makes sense.' JiHan smirked and nodded. "Understood. Then, teach me the Purple Cloud Divine Arts."
"You have a bad attitude for someone who's learning. You should be on your knees, begging," the clone said.
"I would have considered that if it were a complete martial arts… but it's like you’re using me as a test subject. I'm letting this go because you're a clone."
The clone’s mouth fell open. "You insolent…! If the original had heard that, he would’ve been furious! The Purple Cloud Divine Arts is something that was created through a thousand years of research!"
"Is that so? Then I'm glad you're a clone."
"Ehem…!" The clone’s face reddened again. "I'll let this slide… As a clone, I must fulfill my duties. I will begin the transmission. Follow me closely." He soon regained composure and started to properly teach the technique.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - SCM
Proofreader - ilafy
Join our discord for updates on releases!!
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Before the start of the third match, Coach Davis walked back and forth in the players' lounge with an anxious expression on his face. "Sung! Hasn't Sung arrived yet?!" he yelled.
"No… Sae-ah is waiting at the penthouse, but it seems that JiHan hasn't returned yet," one of his staff replied.
"Why today?! This is bad…" Coach Davis chewed his fingernails. 'He always participates in the Regional League without fail, so why has he disappeared before the more important Space League match?!'
Humanity’s ranking depended on the Space League matches, yet JiHan, who'd participated without fail in matches against China and Taiwan, had vanished.
'How are we supposed to win without JiHan?' From the coach's perspective, JiHan was like a trump card. Not only did he do the work of 100 people, but he could also participate in all of the class-exclusive games. How were they supposed to play without their strongest asset?
'Should I lay down and beg for the game’s date to change?' Coach Davis was thinking all sorts of absurd things when…
"C-coach. J-JiHan returned…! I heard he's logging in right now!"
"Oh…! Is that so?!" Coach Davis jumped up in excitement without realizing it. "What a relief! Haa…" The coach had gone through a rollercoaster of emotions in a short period. Seriously… returning 10 minutes before the match starts? This is too much…!" Though he was complaining, he looked relieved.
Flash—!
"I'm sorry, Coach. I lost track of time during my training. I'll pay more attention from now on." JiHan, who’d gone to the players' lounge, apologized.
Startled, the coach quickly waved his hand. "No. I… I'm not bothered! It… it's this damn schedule! Shouldn't it send a message to the player…? This damn thing has a lot of issues, right? Haha!"
"Coach, it seems that the game's about to start. You should go to the Coach's Lounge," one of his staff members said.
"Okay! JiHan, I'm counting on you today as well!" Coach Davis went away with a smile on his face.
The American players watched in disbelief.
'That scary coach turns into a lamb in front of JiHan.'
'So someone with such a bad temper in America First acts like that here…?'
Davis was the world's best coach who'd led the golden age of America First. He was known for his bad temper and being easily angered, but he looked completely different with JiHan.
'Well, since it's JiHan… I guess it can't be helped. If he got angry and decided not to participate, the coach would be immediately replaced.' JiHan was 100 times more important for the human team than Coach Davis, so it wasn't unreasonable for the coach to take such a submissive stance.
"You’re the one who arrived late, Uncle, yet the coach is the one who's sorry?" Sae-ah asked.
"You're right," JiHan said.
"JiHan!"
Two men approached him.
"JiHan. I was finally chosen to join the Space League team!" one of the men, Baron, exclaimed.
"Ah, Baron… You were already chosen for the Space League?" JiHan asked.
"Yes. It’s thanks to the Bloom Guild's effect. Once again… thank you." Baron, who had the 'Two Status Windows' Gift, was unapologetically arrogant before JiHan’s regression because he was the world's top ranker, but such arrogance was completely gone because JiHan had humbled him.
'Why's this guy acting so friendly?' JiHan wondered. Baron had arrived with the US team but had rushed over as soon as he saw JiHan, seeming way too happy to see him. They hadn't built up much of a friendship.
"Let's start the competition for MVP!" Baron exclaimed.
"Baron,” Sae-ah said, “you can't compete with my Uncle. Your rival is me."
"Ugh…!"
While the pre-regression world’s top ranker, and Sae-ah, the one who had the same Gift as the person who was ranked 2nd back then, were talking, Zhuge Xuan, who'd walked over alongside Baron, greeted Sung JiHan with a smile.
"We've always met as opponents of different teams before, so it’s nice to finally greet you as a teammate. I'm Zhuge Xuan. Nice to meet you."
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. I'm Sung JiHan."
"It's great to be on the same team as you, Mr. Sung. Facing you as an opponent is daunting." Zhuge Xuan held no anger for what happened in the Regional League and looked happy. "Ah, but Mr. Sung…" He blinked in surprise. "Are my eyes deceiving me…? There seems to be a purple aura around you."
"Ah." JiHan frowned. "It seems that my energy leaked out again. I've been training with it until now." The Purple Cloud Divine Arts he'd been taught by Dongfang handled the void, and it was too much for even JiHan to master in just a few days. 'This thing keeps leaking out.'
While he gathered the energy again, he heard the commentators announce the start of the match through the speakers in the corners of the waiting room.
= Ladies and gentlemen. The third match of the Space League is finally about to start!
= The enemies are… dragons! The dragonkin!
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