SWNOVELXO Chapter 168
Chapter 168: Cheonma’s Parenting Diary
In the Heavenly Horse Hall.
There she was in the long-dimmed hall.
A golden-haired girl in black martial attire.
It was Baek Cheon-hwa.
“Huuh.”
Baek Cheon-hwa sighed lowly as she wiped her sweat while sticking her sword into the ground.
“I’m still lacking…”
Her hands tingled.
The New Religion was a place governed by the iron-blood rule of the strong. There was no guarantee that the bloodline of Cheonma would rise above the later generations like in the White Path Martial World.
Thus, not only her siblings but even the Post-Stimulation Indicators of the Seven Great Demon Sects, and even the Five Demons could all be seen as competitors aiming for the later generations of Cheonma.
In the New Religion, only the strong could claim everything. Cheonma was Cheonma because he was the strongest in the New Religion.
So, naturally, she couldn’t rise to the position of the junior sect leader simply because she was Cheonma’s daughter. But Baek Cheon-hwa had innate talent.
Her mother was a side branch of the Seven Great Demon Sects, from the Demon Sword Sect. The Sword Demon Sect had never lost the title of Sword Demon, and it was a prominent sect that had also produced Cheonma.
From the time she learned to walk, she received elixirs from her mother’s side, underwent the Reforming Great Method, cleansed her blood paths, reformed her bones, and started swinging her sword by inheriting the Supreme Technique of the Demon Sword Sect.
Baek Cheon-hwa’s talent was exceptional. It was enough to discuss the future of the New Religion. She was outstanding enough to place all of the Post-Stimulation Indicators of the New Religion beneath her feet.
Although the position of the junior sect leader was vacant, her overwhelming talent and martial arts caused all the Post-Stimulation Indicators to bow down per the iron-blood rule of the strong. Some even secretly referred to her as So Cheonma. Even her siblings gave up on competing for the successor position. The Five Demons expressed their awe for her talent. Even her uncle, the current Sword Demon, acknowledged her abilities.
Though Baek Cheon-hwa was recognized by everyone in the New Religion, she couldn’t feel any satisfaction.
Her father’s figure came to her mind.
‘Father.’
Cheonma Baek Murang.
Her memory recalled his back. An absolute master born with talents comparable to the first Cheonma.
Since the day she was born, Baek Murang had been a master above the clouds. His story of rising to the top of the New Religion by developing his unique martial arts from the third-rate demons had long become a myth within the sect.
He was like the heavens.
But at the same time, everything was worthless to her father.
When she was six years old, and she proudly went to show her mastery in the Spirit Heart Method and Spirit Sword Method, her father didn’t react at all.
She still vividly remembered the words Cheonma spat at that time.
‘Is that all you’ve got?’
She remembered the look in his eyes as well.
It was a gaze completely devoid of any interest, a sensation of utter indifference. There was no disappointment, no expectation—just complete apathy.
It was the same afterward. Even when she took the top spot among her peers in Post-Stimulation Indicators, even when recognized by the Sword Demon, even when she proudly boasted of obtaining the alias of So Cheonma to her father.
His reaction never changed.
‘Is that all you’ve got?’
He had no interest at all.
She didn’t seek praise.
She would have preferred even a scolding. Something to say, “What is this? Come back when you’re stronger,” or something like that.
But Cheonma did not even do that. His attitude was genuinely one of complete indifference.
No negative reactions, no positive reactions.
‘How can I… get your attention?’
Baek Cheon-hwa bit her lip.
She knew well enough, deeply probing. Her father had broken through the Stage of Transcendence before he reached his twenties, and before he turned thirty, he attained the Stage of Abandonment and defeated the previous Cheonma.
He had the unprecedented talent of legends.
Though she reached a peak at sixteen, her talent was still incomparable to her father, Cheonma.
Perhaps that was why she thought so.
‘Heavenly Body, the reason you invited the hypocritical Orthodox Faction and the vile Evil Faction to the New Religion must surely be that.’
Heavenly Body, the joint alliance Yujinhwi.
The prodigy known as the world’s top genius, called the “Heavenly Talent.” She had heard that the name echoed throughout the White Path Martial World.
Having restored the fallen Supreme Technique of the joint sect with her brilliant talents, created new techniques, reached peak prowess at fifteen, and defeated the Sword Dragon Jin Paeseon of the Mount Hua Sect and the Evil Faction’s Heuksaryong Wi Soryeon—a genius among geniuses.
Yujinhwi, a talent that emerges once a millennium, Baek Cheon-hwa had seen her father’s eyes rarely light up with determination whenever that name was mentioned.
‘Why…’
Baek Cheon-hwa bit her lip. Blood dripped from her lips.
Even when she earned the illustrious title of the top Post-Stimulation Indicator in the New Religion, her father hadn’t given her a single glance. So why, now?
Did he show interest in the Post-Stimulation Indicator of the Orthodox Faction, not affiliated with the New Religion?
‘…How outstanding is her talent, exactly…?’
Dark emotions flared up like wild flames in Baek Cheon-hwa’s heart. It was jealousy and envy.
She didn’t seek acknowledgment.
She didn’t seek praise.
Rather, she just wanted to hear one word of reproach or even insults.
But in the end, her father did not look back at her. It was the one who captured his attention. In that moment, the flame of inferiority ignited within Baek Cheon-hwa’s heart.
“Baek Cheon-hwa.”
A familiar voice came from behind her. Baek Cheon-hwa turned her head.
There he was.
The pinnacle of the New Religion, the current Cheonma.
And her father, Baek Murang. Startled by the sudden appearance of Cheonma, Baek Cheon-hwa immediately fell to the ground.
“I greet you, Father.”
Baek Cheon-hwa’s form bowing in front of Cheonma was seen.
Among the many talented children he fathered, she was the most talented. So, she was given the title of the Grand Princess.
But still, to Cheonma’s eyes, she was merely a slightly superior ant.
‘You haven’t grown at all.’
Even after a long time, it remained the same. His daughter was still stumbling in front of the wall of transcendence.
Compared to Yujinhwi, who broke through the wall of transcendence at a similar age, or Lee Cheol-soo, who was at peak prowess but hiding a move, it was a talent too insignificant to even compare.
The other trash of the New Religion were considered laughable in comparison. Normally, Cheonma would have thought it a waste of time to even care about, but that was not the case now.
His mind lingered on the words Lee Cheol-soo had spoken.
Love your family.
Baek Cheon-hwa had more potential than now.
Was Cheonma’s talent really just that?
The same words circled in his mind.
“Get up.”
Baek Cheon-hwa rose at Cheonma’s command. Cheonma took out a secret manual from his robe and threw it toward Baek Cheon-hwa.
Shoooooo!
The secret manual, infused with his experience, flew at her with a terrifying speed.
It was no simple toss.
‘A test…?’
Baek Cheon-hwa’s eyes trembled. Her father, who had never turned to look at her, was testing her for the first time.
Her heart raced. She had never experienced this before. Her body flared with martial energy. Baek Cheon-hwa utilized the intricate techniques of golden-haired roots to catch the flying secret manual.
Invisible energy surged around her, striking against her defenses. The knowledge written in the manual vibrated through her hands. The recoil rattled her blood energy.
Baek Cheon-hwa did not show any sign of pain. Her heart still raced.
‘It’s not completely useless, then.’
Cheonma’s gaze fell upon his daughter.
“This is a secret manual I used long ago. It’s of no use to me now, so handle it as you wish.”
Baek Cheon-hwa’s eyes wavered upon hearing Cheonma’s words.
Her hands trembled. The words on the manual came into view.
The characters for the Heavenly Demonic Destruction Technique caught her eye.
As someone who could memorize her father’s entire accomplishments, Baek Cheon-hwa immediately recognized what kind of martial arts the Heavenly Demonic Destruction Technique was.
Cheonma Baek Murang, her father, had spent a lifetime crafting the ultimate technique after investing his capabilities and life, from the time he was a third-rate demon until he soared to the position of Cheonma.
It contained Baek Murang’s unique martial works from his days as a third-rate demon.
“Are you… giving this to me?”
“I’m telling you to handle it as you wish. If you want, you can learn it. It’s now useless to me.”
You can learn it.
Upon hearing that, Baek Cheon-hwa’s vision blurred.
Although he claimed it wasn’t necessary now, this was a technique that had never been passed down to anyone until now.
The fact that he had handed it to her, and not anyone else, was tantamount to saying he intended to make her his successor.
It was like she had permission to continue the advancements of the third-rate demon.
Until now.
Her father, who had never looked back, so why now?
Baek Cheon-hwa wiped her tears.
‘…I’m feeling unexpectedly giddy.’
As Cheonma watched his daughter wipe away her tears, he felt an inexplicable turmoil of emotions.
“…Thank you, Father.”
Hearing her expression of gratitude brought an odd sense of embarrassment.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before. Fresh yet strange.
Cheonma changed the subject.
“It’s nothing to be grateful for. I heard the Heavenly Horse Banquet will be held soon. I will attend, so prepare properly.”
After throwing out the words he wanted to say, Cheonma flew into the air, engulfed in a stream of unknown emotions.
Watching the figure of her father vanish into the distance, Baek Cheon-hwa sat down and cried.
Her tears dripped onto the secret manual.
*
Ever since I had a one-on-one conversation with the Colorful Horse and Cheonma, things had been uneventful.
I wasn’t sure how much of my advice Cheonma would accept, but regardless, the embers of the civil war in the Demon Sect had to be extinguished.
If words didn’t work, I would have to employ another means.
“Disciple, what kind of tournament is the Ceremony of Martial Arts to the Heavenly Horse?”
“Well, that’s…”
In response to Sahyeong’s question, I answered straightforwardly.
The Ceremony of Martial Arts to the Heavenly Horse.
Named after a festival of martial arts dedicated to the Heavenly Horse, this tournament was similar to the Yongbong Society of the White Path Martial World, a martial arts competition that would determine the strongest Post-Stimulation Indicator.
However, there was a fundamental difference in the format of this tournament compared to the Orthodox sect’s Yongbong Society.
While the Yongbong Society was a typical tournament format divided into preliminaries and finals, the Ceremony of Martial Arts to the Heavenly Horse in the Demon Sect was survival-based.
They would drop the Post-Stimulation Indicators single-handedly into the Demon Realm located beneath the Ten Thousand Demon Valley and they would have to survive and break through the traps to make it back to the surface.
That in itself was—
The problem is that the Demon Realm beneath the Ten Thousand Demon Valley is literally filled with fierce demonic beasts since demonic energy had accumulated there for a long time.
I had learned various survival skills during my time as a Dongchang agent, so I would be fine, but I was slightly worried about Sahyeong.
“Is that so?”
Upon hearing my words, Sahyeong nodded calmly.
“Demon Realm? It’s fine. I’ll protect you, Disciple. I’ll take care of all the demonic beasts there and gobble them up for a nice meal.”
Sahyeong smiled widely.
Well, I might have been worried about the wrong person. No matter how many demonic creatures were in the Demon Realm, Sahyeong would probably catch them all and enjoy a delicious meal.
“Understood.”
“Great. Disciple, let’s go now.”
With a firm grip on my wrist, Sahyeong said.
“It’s almost time for the banquet.”
Right, today is the day of the Heavenly Horse Banquet.
Finally, the day has come to meet the Post-Stimulation Indicators of the Demon Sect, including So Cheonma Baek Cheon-hwa, whom I had only encountered in records.
So Cheonma Baek Cheon-hwa.
I wonder what she will be like.