I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 845

When masters engage in a true duel of blades, it rarely concludes in a single day, often dragging on for three days and three nights.

Because their mastery is honed to such perfection, neither side makes mistakes, turning the clash into a battle of endurance.

Once endurance flags, minor slip-ups inevitably creep in, and for masters, those minor slip-ups prove utterly fatal.

Title) Question about fights between masters

What are you supposed to do if battles are all short skirmishes, like in a war?

To be serious for a second, this is basically an information war. The enemy sends a master? Then you send a master of your own to tie them down so the fight itself becomes pointless.

OP) Ooh. Tell me more.

Usually, if someone is strong enough to be sent out alone, you can assume they’d tear through almost any ordinary unit. So you either send someone equal or stronger to completely pin them down, or you scrap the operation altogether. It’s basically blindfolded chess.

Then what do the other soldiers do when masters fight? Just suck their thumbs?

You’ll find out what that saying about shrimp getting crushed when whales fight really means. The terrain all around blows up, so the ones dying are the soldiers, haha.

They usually pull the soldiers back, right?

There’s a reason Sword Master-tier powerhouses count as military assets;;

Do you really think you could stand next to Grylls going wild and walk away in one piece?

Just dodging the flying debris would be tough enough, haha.

If experts like that die, it’s like losing a rook in chess or a chariot in janggi, so it’s catastrophic.

What does that make Grylls?

He’s the bastard who fills the whole damn board while everyone else takes up one square;;

Hahahaha.

Spot-on analogy, haha.

Haha.

Title) Why fights between masters rarely produce a winner

Because if you fight for three days and three nights, you need to take a shit. This is for real. I experienced it firsthand, yep.

Shitting your pants because you can’t stop fighting vs. taking the hint and quietly ending the fight.

Holy fuck, hahaha.

Even an unforgivable villain deserves a pass if they’re human;;

What if the other guy doesn’t take the hint?

Usually the other guy needs to shit too, so he catches on right away, wouldn’t he?

But who was OP fighting for three days and three nights?

OP) My wife.

You definitely lost.

If you won, wouldn’t that be a f—king problem in its own right? Haha.

What the hell did you fight over? Did you cheat on her or something?

OP) Fought because I didn’t want to get married, but I lost.

Wait, are you that guy who hugged a girl before and got forced into marriage?

OP) You mean back during the Heavenly God Martial Festival? Yeah, that’s me, yep.

Hey. Spill more of the story.

Sounds f—king hilarious, haha.

OP) Sorry, wifey told me to make dinner, so I can’t.

F—king bastard dropped part one and won’t post part two.

(Meme image of someone getting beaten to a pulp for not posting part two)

OP) It’s ’cause wifey is pregnant...

What are you doing here instead of hurrying up and making dinner?

Clearly hasn’t been beaten enough yet.

Hahahaha.

Hahahaha.

As such, unless a fight between masters was a battle to the death, it frequently fizzled out.

Even more so when, far from a fight to the death, it was closer to a friendly duel.

"I can count this as my win, right?"

"You speak nonsense. In a protracted battle, victory would have been mine."

"Which is another way of saying I won the short bout, right?"

"Think whatever you wish. I do not dwell on such petty outcomes."

Yoo So-wol and Ash’s duel had lasted an entire day.

Even as the sun dipped and the bright moon rose, their dance showed no sign of stopping.

Only after the moon sank once more and the morning sun climbed into the sky did it finally draw to a close.

"All right. Then..."

"Bring up my husband, and I shall expel you this instant."

"Fine, fine. Can’t I even make a joke?"

"The problem is that you mean every word."

Perhaps because both had finally released their tension after a long time, their conversation flowed far more peacefully than before.

The very fact that they sat back-to-back on the hard ground spoke volumes about their state of mind.

Moreover, while Yoo So-wol sat with reasonable poise, Ash had her long legs stretched out completely without a care.

"By the way, that Heavenly Demon Divine Art of yours is seriously impressive. Could you teach me too?"

Ash asked playfully, bobbing her feet.

Facing Yoo So-wol’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art in person had left a profound impression on her.

She knew that Central Plains martial artists usually drilled into a single art until its ceiling was absurdly high, but coming face-to-face with that pinnacle was something else entirely.

And having grasped Grylls’s Unity of Self and Object on top of it, she felt comfortable tossing out such a joke.

"If you wish, I shall show you the original text of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."

"Huh? Really?"

Yet to her utter surprise.

Ash was caught completely off guard when Yoo So-wol agreed without a shred of hesitation.

To people of the Central Plains, an Internal Cultivation Art was typically a secret manual belonging strictly to a clan or sect.This story is hosted at novelping dot com.

A classified legacy never taught to outsiders except under extraordinary circumstances.

Offering such a secret to someone not even in her faction—and a rival, no less—could not help but baffle her.

"Why look so surprised?"

"I mean... isn’t being surprised the normal reaction? It’s an Internal Cultivation Art."

"An Internal Cultivation Art whose contents are about to change."

"Aha. I get the picture."

Ash immediately understood why she had agreed so easily.

It was clear that Yoo So-wol intended to write new material herself.

"You’re planning to write the profound truths of Unity of Self and Object into it, aren’t you?"

"Indeed."

"And that’s why you need my help? Guess you’re unexpectedly weak when it comes to theory, huh?"

"I admit my lack of aptitude in that regard. Yet you must have harbored the same question. ’Is there a realm beyond Unity of Self and Object?’"

"Hmm."

Ash slowly tilted her head back and gazed up at the cloudless sky.

She couldn’t deny it; she too had failed to come up with an answer for what lay beyond Unity of Self and Object.

’You can do just about anything with Unity of Self and Object... which makes it even more of a problem.’

It was no exaggeration: with Unity of Self and Object, practically any technique was possible.

After all, even the Telekinetic Sword Control that Ash had mastered to perfection drew upon the profundity of Unity of Self and Object.

"Wouldn’t things like the Earth-Shrinking Art or Spatial Slash you use be different?"

"Do you truly believe they are?"

"Mm... no."

Techniques that grasped and applied the laws of space were no different.

With their towering realms, both of them could manipulate space as easily as kneading dough.

Yet because this was acquired almost purely through instinct rather than theory, the question of how always lingered.

In the Central Plains, arts like the Great Shift of the Universe could glimpse those principles, but even that fell short of perfection.

Yet once the concept of moving everything like one’s own limbs through Unity of Self and Object took hold, everything changed.

Having wielded it and dug deeply into it firsthand, she could say so with certainty.

"It’s all the more bewildering because you can just chalk everything up to Unity of Self and Object."

"That is precisely what vexes me. Why does everything converge into this single truth?"

"Quite a philosophical question. Which only makes me wonder more about his talent."

Grylls had acquired Unity of Self and Object in a moment of crisis.

At first, everyone had viewed it as merely a fascinating technique, but as time passed, things changed.

Huh? This uses Unity of Self and Object too? Oh? This does too? Don’t tell me this does as well?

"To be honest, it makes me think that the very concept of using mana might actually be Unity of Self and Object."

"Internal energy, not mana."

"Ah, shit. You’re nitpicking even now."

"In any case, your words hold truth. A technique that allows internal energy to be wielded with greater ease."

"Technique is one thing, but it’s tied closely to breathing as well."

Breathing was a natural instinct requiring no conscious effort.

Ask why, and different fields would offer different answers.

Was that not the very reason Mana Cultivation Methods and Internal Cultivation Arts had been invented?

Setting aside the fact that someone had a constitution where it accumulated just from breathing, of course.

"Then are you saying we have been breathing the wrong way all along?"

"Probably not. Think of an asthma patient. An asthmatic needs a device to breathe, but a healthy person doesn’t."

"That sounds as though everyone save my husband is an asthmatic."

"From his perspective, that’s probably what it looks like, right? Anyway, to sum it up, you can look at Unity of Self and Object as being closer to the concept of a tool itself."

"Hm."

Yoo So-wol nodded.

She grasped the general gist.

Naturally, breaking it down, analyzing it, and compiling it into the Heavenly Demon Divine Art rested purely on Yoo So-wol’s capabilities.

"Then it makes me wonder all the more. What is my husband’s true ability?"

"Isn’t it just a constitution where mana builds up simply from breathing?"

"That is also correct, yet when I faced him, it felt far deeper than that."

She had felt it vividly when they met during the Heavenly God Martial Festival.

A presence closer to nature itself, transcending the heavens and embracing all creation.

Because nature was always present, it felt literally natural. Yet delve beneath the surface, and it was so vast that even the heavens seemed laughable in comparison.

After all, the heavens themselves were part of nature, requiring no further explanation.

"Let’s not overthink it. What matters to us right now is Unity of Self and Object."

"A fair point."

"Right. Enough talk about work, shall we head back? Ah, excuse me, but could I borrow a bath?"

After a battle that lasted a full day and night, both of them were an absolute mess.

They could have restored their cleanliness using techniques, but wouldn’t washing up properly feel far more refreshing?

"Follow me. There is a hot spring nearby."

"A hot spring?"

"It is where I always go after finishing my training. Even Demonic Brain knows nothing of the place, so there is no worry of anyone peeping."

Anyone who dared peek would have their eyeballs gouged out on the spot, so who could possibly have the guts?

Swallowing those words, Ash followed after Yoo So-wol.

She could wash her clothes while she was at it, so she could take her time.

Whoooosh—Read this novel at novеlping.com for the best experience.

Before long, they arrived at an open-air hot spring.

It was ideal for easing the fatigue in their bodies, and situated high in the mountain range, the air was pleasantly cool.

The two women neatly set their discarded clothes beside the bath, then sank in, melting away the exhaustion built up in their flesh.

"Phew... this is nice. Being able to come to a place like this every day, I might be a little jealous."

"Hm."

Without answering, Yoo So-wol stared intently at Ash.

Her own body had undergone Body Metamorphosis and consumed various spiritual medicines from Grylls.

As such, she took pride in exuding the mature allure of a woman, yet Ash was not one bit behind.

If anything, perhaps owing to her tall stature, her long, slender proportions stood out strikingly.

"Why are you staring like that? You’re not so different from me."

"It merely felt strange. I have never bathed with another."

"Really? Well, I suppose so."

Ash had lived the life of a soldier in the military barracks.

Having rubbed shoulders with fellow female soldiers and spent time in the field, something like this was second nature to her.

And so, submerged in the warm open-air bath, both women cleanly dissolved their lingering fatigue.

The chill of the high-altitude mountain air made it all the more soothing.

"Now that I think of it, there is something I have been wondering."

"What is it?"

"When did you learn the Central Plains language?"

Yoo So-wol asked.

In truth, Ash spoke the Central Plains language reasonably fluently without a single Translation Orb.

She stumbled now and then whenever a difficult word came up, but carrying on a conversation at all was already an impressive feat.

While at the Heavenly Demon Palace, she had used a Translation Orb, but from the duel onward, it had been purely her own skill.

"I learned it on my own thanks to having a wonderful sister."

"Was there any need to learn it?"

"It’s not like you’re going to learn the Imperial Language, are you? Besides, there’s no harm in knowing it."

Above all, Grylls was diligently learning all kinds of languages.

If he was putting in that kind of effort in the Forest of the Four Seasons, shouldn’t she do the same?

"..."

At those words, Yoo So-wol fell silent for a moment.

People of the Central Plains tended to lean somewhat self-centered.

Even more so when that person was the Heavenly Demon commanding the Heavenly Demon Cult.

She had never seen any need to learn it, so hearing Ash’s mature perspective left her feeling slightly embarrassed.

"...Does that not wound your pride? Just as the Central Plains values face, I have heard the Western Kingdoms value honor."

"Pride and honor are two different things."

"How do they differ?"

"Pride doesn’t put food on the table, but honor does."

"...?"

At the baffling comparison, Yoo So-wol tilted her head in confusion.

At that innocent reaction, Ash let out a soft chuckle and spoke.

"It’s not that complicated. Just something you realize as you live life."

"Are you saying that the unsightly display of clinging to my husband despite the age difference is a matter of pride, while the title of Sword Saint remaining untarnished despite that is a matter of honor?"

"...That’s a pretty shitty analogy, but yeah."

"Then is it also pride that keeps this lady from easily approaching my husband?"

Somehow, it had turned into relationship counseling.

The key point being that Yoo So-wol didn’t even realize it.

Ash stared at her.

Just moments ago she was the majestic Heavenly Demon, but right now she was nothing more than an innocent maiden nursing lovesickness.

Part of her wanted to tease her, and as a rival in love, part of her wanted to keep her in check.

Yet toying with someone else’s feelings wasn’t right.

’Sigh. Fine. As someone with more life experience, what wouldn’t I do?’

So Ash decided to guide her properly like an adult.

It was better than Yoo So-wol making a huge mistake and ruining her relationship with Grylls for nothing.

No, to be honest, it wasn’t like she lacked the petty urge wanting it to go sour.

Her conscience simply pricked her too much to actually do it.

"Do you want me to be blunt, or beat around the bush?"

"Speak plainly."

"All right. I’ll tell you as someone with more life experience."

With that, Ash said:

"You’re a coward."

"..."

"And a child who hasn’t even learned to walk yet."

At this crystal-clear verbal beatdown—

"Hey. You’re the one who told me to say it straight, remember? Why are you being so petty?"

"...Do not speak to me. That is an order."

"You think I’d take orders from you? You call yourself the heavens, but your heart is as narrow as a ditch."

Yoo So-wol was sulking in full force.

They truly were two of a kind.