It was inevitable—but far from easy.
The Sura Reverse Heavenly Art was a martial discipline that defied the laws of nature itself. To truly master it, mere abundance of internal energy was not enough. Its practitioner required power of unparalleled purity.
The difference between ordinary martial arts and divine techniques was not in speed or growth alone. Even with the same quantity of energy, its quality—its strength and brilliance—could vary like heaven and earth. A small trace of divine energy could overturn mountains, while a river of impure force would achieve nothing.
'To surpass the Blood Spirit Sura Divine Art… I need both purity and magnitude,' Lee Seong-jun realized. 'Something limitless. Endless, if possible.'
Such a goal would make even enlightened masters hesitate for a lifetime. But Seong-jun had once been a demon god—one who carried eons of experience and the knowledge of countless worlds. He knew where to begin.
'Then… I shall embody infinity itself.'
He couldn't grasp true infinity, nor even confirm its existence. Yet there was something close—something boundless that resided within every being.
'The heart.'
Martial arts may speak of energy, but at their origin, they are the language of the mind and emotion—pure, immeasurable, and eternal.
He sat cross-legged upon the barren wasteland, where not even beasts dared to tread after his last training. His breath flowed evenly, his senses sharpening into stillness.
'Let my will stretch as far as my heart can reach.'
The energy within him surged outward like a tide. The air trembled. The ground cracked. The heavens rumbled.
Yet Seong-jun heard nothing. His consciousness sank inward, tracing every memory and feeling that defined his existence.
The warmth of his family.
The camaraderie of his comrades.
The anger at enemies who threatened peace.
The gratitude toward those who fought beside him.
All emotions, intertwined and unending, formed a single current of light within his chest.
'Even detachment… is still part of the heart.'
Indifference, joy, sorrow, rage—all of it was feeling. All of it was life. His mind expanded beyond his body, beyond the battlefield, beyond the world itself. His emotions reached through the bonds of countless beings—humans, beasts, and even entities from other dimensions.
Emotion spread. Emotion connected. Emotion became infinite.
The energy resonated—an echo between body and soul.
Thrum.
The ground roared. Wind exploded outward. And Seong-jun's body lifted into the air, shrouded in a storm of light.
'Resonance… so this is it.'
His inner power and the external energy converged, intertwining in perfect harmony. What had been two forces now became one.
A deep hum filled the world—
WHOOOM!
Crimson light erupted from his core, blending into blue, then deepening into black. The three colors coiled together above him, forming a spiraling vortex that crashed down like a waterfall.
KWAAANG!
The earth quaked. The ruins trembled. When the storm subsided, Seong-jun slowly opened his eyes.
'…I've done it.'
The technique he had only imagined—an inner energy art beyond limits—now existed within him.
A crisp system chime followed.
[Incredible! The birth of the ultimate Blood Art—Mugeuk Hyeolsim-gong (Infinite Blood Heart Art)—a legend among all realms!]
[Blood stat +100. Internal energy purity vastly improved.]
[Your control over blood and life essence has ascended to a higher domain.]
[Dimensional beings express astonishment at your creation.]
[High beings extend their invitations to Lee Seong-jun.]
Cold Death.
The Harmonious Flower.
The Blue Sky Sword.
Each divine name reached out, offering power, apostleship, or entry into their realms.
But Seong-jun only exhaled slowly, expression calm.
'…I couldn't absorb it all.'
The art's power was too vast for even his body to contain. Some of it dispersed into the air. Still, satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
'I've become one with the blood. The fusion is complete.'
Even without invoking Blood Magic, his control over life essence now rivaled the gods themselves. And if he did unleash Blood Magic… the results would be overwhelming.
'Against a superior being, I might truly win.'
Yet his greatest joy wasn't victory or power. It was refinement. His blood and energy had become purer, denser, and perfectly harmonized—laying the foundation for the completion of the Sura Reverse Heavenly Art's latter half.
He smiled faintly.
'Not bad.'
Then, glancing at the lingering divine messages, he muttered, "You dare reveal yourselves so openly?"
The gods' arrogance was nothing new. They looked upon mortals as toys. That they would now address him directly was… almost amusing.
Still, he refused.
'No.'
One word of rejection, and their messages faded into nothing.
'Their interest isn't benevolence—it's curiosity. Or greed.'
Even if some gods bore resentment, Gaia's barrier protected this world. Let them rage in their own dimensions; their hands could not reach him.
'Let them try. By the time they do… I'll be beyond their grasp.'
Seong-jun rose, flexing his hands. The energy within him pulsed like a living heart.
There was still one goal left—to complete the second half of the Sura Reverse Heavenly Art.
With a serene smile, Lee Seong-jun sat once more and resumed his training, his aura rippling like an ocean beneath a blood-red sky.