The Feeling Of Ascension. (3)

From the top of his head to the tips of his toes, his whole body felt like it was floating.

‘It feels as if I’ve become an immortal strolling above the clouds.’

Yu Jinsan couldn’t clear his mind.

Because his granddaughter was massaging the back of his supine body.

Until now she had been limited to his shoulders, but never before had she massaged his entire body so quickly.

And this time something was different.

Wherever his granddaughter’s hands passed, warm innate qi circulated through the meridians, clearing the murky qi inside his body.

“Ah!”

“Grandpa, what’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

A moan escaped him involuntarily as the relief reached its peak.

Yu Jinsan said urgently.

“Ah, it’s nothing. It feels good, so keep going.”

This kind of massage consumed a great deal of cultivation qi.

Normally he would have told her to stop by now, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

No, he didn’t even have the mental clarity to think that.

“How is it? Do you see the universe?”

“I feel like I can almost see something, but I still can’t tell for sure.”

Yu Seol kept moving her hands but sighed as if frustrated.

“It seems Grandpa has no connection with the Supreme realm after all.”

He was desperately receiving help from his granddaughter, who had risen beyond the dimension of the Supreme realm to the sacred state called the Profound Realm.

And yet there was no progress? For the first time in his life, Yu Jinsan thought he lacked the talent.

As he felt self-disgust and considered giving up, it happened.

“No. You can’t give up here!”

With his granddaughter’s cry, his body floated up into the air.

“Wh-what are you trying to do?”

From below, Yu Seol flicked her hands and his body flipped onto its front.

Then he softly descended back to the floor.

Yu Seol did not give up.

She resumed massaging, this time starting from his arms.

While feeling extreme relief, Yu Jinsan also felt an inexplicable guilt; he saw beads of sweat forming on his granddaughter’s forehead.

It was the first time he had ever seen Yu Seol sweat.

That meant she was pouring tremendous cultivation qi into him.

“Ah, my child…”

“Don’t move, Grandpa. Stay still.”

He couldn’t let her efforts go to waste.

Above all, he was so relaxed he couldn’t summon the will to do anything.

In that moment, Yu Seol’s hands rose like a cat’s claws.

Then she began to tap his qi and blood across his entire body at incredible speed, starting from the crown of his head.

Tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!!

It was similar to the Pursuing Palace Blood technique yet decidedly different.

All the sensations in his body felt like they were dancing beyond his control.

Yu Jinsan moaned without realizing it.

It felt as if his soul were sinking into some abyss.

Then Yu Seol asked in a low voice.

“Are you ready now?”

“Wh-what for?”

“I mean, ready to fly into the universe.”

Who had ever achieved enlightenment while being massaged? It was unheard of in martial history.

But there was nothing to lose by trying.

He was worried about his granddaughter’s hard work, but he couldn’t turn down this final chance.

“O-oh yes.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than his granddaughter’s palm tapped his lower abdomen.

At that moment he involuntarily uttered another moan.

A tremendous surge of energy was flooding into his dantian like a wave.

It was definitely a warm Buddhist-type qi, like the blessing of a Buddha.

Yu Jinsan’s eyes slowly turned to his granddaughter’s face.

Seeing a dazzling halo around her head, he realized she was channeling the qi of the Buddha Lion Roar Divine technique.

No, strictly speaking, she wasn’t just putting qi in.

‘Good heavens. Is massaging the dantian even possible?’

There was no doubt. He felt his dantian convulsing.

Alongside it came an indescribable pleasure.

Is this what ecstasy is? Yu Jinsan’s pupils gradually lost focus.

Soon his head dropped heavily; he had finally lost consciousness.

Under a clear sky filled with billowing clouds that could block the bright sun.

A vast sea stretched out so far it had no visible end.

And an old man was walking lightly across the gentle waves.

“Heh heh heh! Heh heh heh heh!”

The old man laughed endlessly as he walked, for some unknown joy.

His shoulders bobbed as if dancing.

How long had he been like this?

The old man’s actions continued without end; he did not pause for a moment.

“Heh heh heh heh!”

As if trapped in eternal spacetime, his behavior repeated mechanically.

His mouth smiled, but he looked like a person without a soul.

Emptiness. That was the look in the old man’s eyes.

How much time had passed? He couldn’t even guess; he couldn’t remember when it had begun.

For the first time, a change occurred within the seemingly endless repeating action.

The old man suddenly formed a question.

‘Why am I walking?’

It was the first question to arise.

At the same time, his smiling expression slowly hardened.

And that small question continued to spawn others.

‘Why must I walk?’

He couldn’t find an answer. It had been an act repeated unconsciously. The old man kept questioning himself.

‘But who am I?’

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall.

It felt as if his mind had been emptied, as if he had become a fool.

The old man’s steps across the sea stopped for the first time.

He slowly closed his eyes and surrendered his body to the breeze.

‘What is me, and what is not me?’

The universe. The old man’s question expanded to the cosmos—the existence like a speck within vast spacetime.

‘One thing is certain: I exist. Because I exist, other things also must. I am the master of my body and the master of my heart.’

The old man’s questions continued to accumulate.

‘If my body and mind are mine, then by my will I can change the universe. For I am the universe.’

The old man felt his body growing lighter.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself suddenly floating up into the sky, soaring.

Whoooooosh-!!!

Breaking through the void and rushing at light speed, he felt extreme exhilaration.

Then his falling body tore across the waves like a shaft of light.

Shhhh-!!!

Where he passed, dozens of water columns leaped up.

‘All emptiness governed by the universe is my space. Therefore my will can govern this emptiness.’

Suddenly a dazzling radiance shone from the old man’s gaze.

At the same time, brilliant light burst from his whole body and spread like a wave.

And in that moment, the old man’s lips moved softly.

“I am Yu Jinsan.”

“Grandpa! Grandpa, are you awake?”

Hearing his granddaughter’s voice, Yu Jinsan shot upright.

“My child. Your grandpa had a strange dream for a moment.”

For some reason Yu Seol was smiling broadly before him.

“A moment? It’s already been five days.”

“What did you say?”

He had assumed it was a short dream, but it had already been five days?

Yu Jinsan was bewildered.

Now that he thought about it, his last memory was on the hermitage roof, but now he was on a bed. It seemed Yu Seol had moved him.

“How do you feel? Do you sense any change?”

Only now did Yu Jinsan realize a change had come over him.

The first thing he noticed was his body’s sensations, clearly different from before.

An unceasing surge of qi in his dantian, and a body so light it felt capable of racing the sky.

Moreover, from all over his body he felt condensed power, like a volcano about to erupt.

“Th-this can’t be…”

Yu Jinsan stared blankly and slowly looked around.

He could see farther than before and even heard sounds that previously were inaudible.

All his bodily senses had risen exponentially.

And that wasn’t all.

Though he couldn’t explain it, his gaze was completely different—calm like a lake, with depth like an abyss.

“Grandpa, you’re in the Supreme realm now too.”

Yu Seol’s words brought the situation into reality.

The Supreme realm? It was a longing he’d had even in his dreams.

Until now, only two people in the family had surpassed the Supreme realm: his ancestor Yu Jeong-pung, famous by the epithet ‘Spear Ghost’, and the granddaughter before him.

And now he himself had reached that exalted state.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he teared up.

“Sob……”

He never imagined this day would come.

As a martial man, how could he not be overjoyed? He felt as if he owned the whole world.

“Don’t cry, Grandpa.”

Yu Seol wiped her grandfather’s tears with her thumb, hugged him, and patted his back.

“You’ve worked hard, child. It’s all thanks to you.”

“Grandpa did it. I just helped a little.”

Though his granddaughter had created the opportunity, the realization came to Yu Jinsan himself unconsciously.

He held Yu Seol’s shoulder for a moment and examined her face.

Sure enough, her complexion was pale.

It was because she had poured a considerable amount of cultivation energy into helping him.

He couldn’t help but feel proud.

“You don’t look well. Quickly start your breathing and qi regulation.”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Aha. Hurry up and listen to Grandpa.”

Only when her grandfather spoke seriously did Yu Seol sit cross-legged.

Yu Jinsan silently waited by her side until her breathing and qi regulation finished.

Her pale face was quickly regaining color. She was recovering.

“Grandpa, how do you feel now?”

Typical martial artists cannot speak while regulating qi, as they must concentrate completely.

But Yu Seol naturally disregarded that rule.

“I’m very happy. I could die from how good this feels.”

“How good?”

Yu Jinsan was no stranger to his granddaughter’s heart.

She kept asking just to boast. He might normally have found it annoying, but today he felt none of that.

No matter how many times, she only seemed lovelier.

“It feels like I could fly.”

“Hehe. Then when I’m done, shall we go out together?”

On a day like this, what could he refuse?

Yu Jinsan accepted without a moment’s hesitation.

“Good. Where do you want to go?”

“Let’s go to the market to look around and buy some tasty snacks.”

Lately he had been avoiding going to Ho County’s market with his granddaughter.

Evil factions’ martial arts warriors had increased, so going together would attract attention. He didn’t want needless trouble.

But today was different.

“Alright. Today our Seol worked hard, so let’s eat something nice to strengthen your body.”

“Really? Hehe.”

Yu Seol’s mouth was already smiling ear to ear.

To speak during qi regulation and still smile like this was surprising, but Yu Jinsan had become used to it, so it felt natural.

“Yes. And what else do you want to do?”

“Nothing else. But you’ll spar with me tomorrow, right?”

She asked for what she wanted boldly and without hesitation.

It was exasperating, but what could he do?

His current granddaughter deserved it. She seemed to know that herself.

“Of course! I’ll do it right after we return from the market.”

Yu Jinsan also wanted to test his changed abilities again.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yu Seol’s closed eyes snapped open.

“Let’s go.”

“Your qi regulation is already finished?”

“Yes. I’m all right now.”

It was truly an astonishing recovery speed.

Yu Jinsan clicked his tongue and sprang up with his granddaughter.

At that moment he was once again surprised by how feather-light his body felt.

He thought he might even be able to perform the highest lightness skill, the void-walking called ‘hovering in air.’

‘…Could it be possible?’

His heart thumped for the first time in a long while.

He would know once he tried.

He took a deep breath and took his first step toward the market.

“Grandpa’s leaving first!”