Chapter 56: Dragon King's Scale
The day he first saw the Ten Thousand Heavens Transformed into Rain.
While Jang Woo-hyun was conversing with Tang Moon-seong, the Head of the Tang Clan, he had asked a question.
“What is this ‘Dragon King's Scale’ mentioned here?”
“It’s a mysterious weapon said to have been used by the Divine Sword.”
“A mysterious weapon? Like a hidden weapon?”
“Some say it's a sword, others say it’s a hidden weapon. I’ve never seen it myself, so I can’t say for sure.”
A weapon that was both a sword and a hidden weapon.
‘Was it something like this?’
A blade about the size of three fingers, thin and light as paper.
Hundreds of these dragon scale-like blades gathered together to form a single sword.
The broken Black Wilds Sword—now transformed into the Dragon King's Scale—was swung into the air as Woo-hyun infused it with his internal energy.
Strangely enough, though the sword was composed of hundreds of small blades, it did not appear to be weak.
On top of that, he could sense the will of the weapon that had been whispering to him to come find it, guiding him on how to use it.
‘Tang Myung must have used this to wield both hidden weapons and a sword simultaneously.’
Sometimes the hundreds of blades were scattered like hidden weapons, and other times they combined into a single sword.
Was there a weapon more fitting for the title Dark Heaven Divine Sword than this?
He infused internal energy and activated a technique.
Tick. Tick. Tiddick.
As the technique connected, the hundreds of blades separated once more.
Chwarararak!
The blades moved like a school of fish in the ocean, swirling around Jang Woo-hyun’s body.
It seemed he needed more practice to handle it properly.
A demanding weapon indeed, but for Woo-hyun—who had already learned to handle multiple weapons through techniques like Ten Thousand Heavens Transformed into Rain—it was an especially valuable one.
“Ten Thousand Heavens Transformed into Rain is only the beginning.”
Now he fully understood why Dark Heaven Divine Sword Tang Myung had said those words.
With Dragon King's Scale, not only could he replicate Ten Thousand Heavens Transformed into Rain, but he could likely go beyond it.
As Woo-hyun extended Black Wilds Sword forward, the swirling blades returned and reformed into a single sword.
Chwaruruk! Chack!
He tried to sheath it as a sword.
Tak! Tak!
However, the size was different from the original Black Wilds Sword, so it didn’t fit well.
“Stick together a bit more.”
Woo-hyun spoke while looking at the sword, and it seemed Dragon King's Scale understood him.
It adjusted its structure slightly, changing the shape of the blades so it could fit into the scabbard.
Chalak.
Though the size of Black Wilds Sword was larger than a regular sword, Dragon King's Scale could now be sheathed properly.
“Master Jang… what… what just happened?”
Tang Un-jang, who had been stunned by the sight of dragon scales forming a sword and hundreds of blades flying around, finally came to his senses and approached to ask.
“As soon as we entered Chengdu, this fellow started talking to me.”
Woo-hyun tapped on the scabbard.
“It kept whispering, so I came looking for it, and this happened. Before, it said I wasn’t ready… looks like I’ve gained some qualifications now.”
“What do you mean, ‘it said you weren’t ready’?”
In response to Tang Moon-seong’s question, Woo-hyun explained the voice he’d heard the last time he faced Ten Thousand Heavens Transformed into Rain.
“So back then, it said you were lacking…”
“Clan Head, it seems that story might be true.”
“What story are you referring to?”
“The story that to become the master of Dragon King's Scale, one must be able to wield both hidden weapons and the sword simultaneously.”
“Ah…”
Only then did he recall the legend that had been passed down.
“Yes, I do recall such a story.”
Tang Moon-seong’s gaze turned toward Jang Woo-hyun.
Though Tang Un-jang had briefly summarized it, mastering both sword and hidden weapons wasn’t enough to be acknowledged as the wielder of Dragon King's Scale.
Tang Myung’s title had been Dark Heaven Divine Sword.
He had once been hailed as the strongest swordsman under heaven, and his skills in hidden weapons were among the top three in Tang Clan history.
Both swordsmanship and hidden weapons. Only someone who had mastered both at the highest level could be recognized as the rightful owner of Dragon King's Scale.
When it came to swordsmanship, Woo-hyun’s abilities needed no further proof. That condition had long been fulfilled. It was his proficiency in handling hidden weapons that had fallen short before. Now that it had improved, Dragon King's Scale had finally revealed itself.
Learning that Woo-hyun had improved even in that regard, Tang Moon-seong was astonished.
‘Does that mean he’s grown even stronger?’
It hadn’t been long since Woo-hyun left the Tang Clan, yet his skills had improved again.
‘Perhaps…’
He had killed the Usa of the Demon Cult and returned after facing them—without even serious injuries.
No one knew how much force the Demon Cult had deployed. But surely, they wouldn’t have taken lightly someone who killed their Usa. And yet, Woo-hyun had defeated them and returned.
‘…He might be the strongest under heaven.’
The Jang Woo-hyun that Tang Moon-seong had witnessed was that remarkable.
“Clan Head.”
While he was deep in thought, a martial artist from the Tang Clan approached.
“That is a Tang Clan weapon.”
Implying it could not be given to an outsider. Some of the others who had accompanied Tang Moon-seong nodded in agreement.
“Hmph! Don’t be ridiculous.”
But the blacksmiths thought otherwise.
“They say divine weapons choose their own masters. Dragon King's Scale is even called an ultimate weapon. That boy was chosen by the weapon itself.”
“That’s right. We didn’t even know it was here.”
“Can anyone else even reform it into a sword after separating it?”
The blacksmiths raised their voices, and even Tang Un-jang agreed with them.
“They’re right. Dragon King's Scale chose its master on its own. Besides, there’s no one in the Tang Clan right now who can wield it.”
Had it not been for Woo-hyun, it would have remained a mere dragon carving on a stone pillar. It was he who awakened it and was chosen by it.
“The Elder is right. This is not something we can handle.”
“But, Clan Head…”
“Didn’t you just hear it? Divine weapons choose their own masters. It’s not something we can force.”
As members of the Tang Clan argued, Woo-hyun found a book inside the dragon-shaped structure from which the scales had disappeared.
He extended his technique and retrieved the old book. Despite its age, it was in surprisingly good condition.
[Tang Clan Dark Heaven]
The words written on the cover.
As expected, it was another secret manual left behind by Tang Myung.
He considered reading it, but decided to hand it over, as it was not originally his.
Tang Moon-seong accepted the book and flipped to the first page, then chuckled.
As if Dark Heaven Divine Sword Tang Myung had foreseen this situation, he had written about it on the very first page.
Smiling, he handed the open book to Jang Woo-hyun.
The first words immediately caught his eyes:
[Dragon King's Scale is not the property of the Tang Clan.]
It’s not mine.
This child has a will of its own, so it will choose its master directly.
If it chooses someone outside the Tang Clan, I hope you will not be greedy and yield Dragon King's Scale to the chosen one.
And to the one who has been chosen by Dragon King's Scale—
Let’s meet at the top.
It was astonishing enough that this situation had been predicted, but what truly caught Jang Woo-hyun’s eye wasn’t that.
It was the sentence at the very bottom.
‘Meet at the top?’
Even a figure hailed as the strongest in the Tang Clan’s history was saying the same kind of thing as the monkey monster. Where exactly was ‘the top’?
‘Is there really an island in the sky above the clouds?’
He looked up into the sky, but nothing could be seen.
The Tang Clan members tilted their heads at his strange behavior, but Woo-hyun didn’t care and continued scanning the sky.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah… just looking for something.”
Woo-hyun smiled awkwardly as he handed the manual back.
Tang Moon-seong received it and showed it to the others.
Some still looked unconvinced, but since the Clan Head, the blacksmiths, and even Tang Myung himself had left a message, no one could claim ownership of Dragon King's Scale.
“Then… may I take this with me?”
“Go ahead. There’s no one else who can use it anyway.”
Listening to the surrounding conversation, Woo-hyun had even been thinking of simply taking it and running away if they refused.
But things went smoother than expected. Perhaps it was because of the goodwill he’d shown previously, or because no one else could use it—Tang Moon-seong readily allowed him to take Dragon King's Scale.
“Will you be leaving right away?”
“There’s a place I need to visit.”
Yang Rim had asked him to wait, but after finding traces of the Demonic God Association, Woo-hyun couldn’t help but feel rushed.
He figured it’d be better to arrive early and wait nearby.
“That’s a shame. I wish you could’ve stayed a bit longer.”
“I’ll visit again sometime.”
“Please do. Thanks to you, we’ve obtained another secret manual. You’ll always be treated as a benefactor.”
“Thank you.”
Just as Woo-hyun was about to say his goodbyes and leave, Tang Un-jang cautiously approached him.
“Um… Master Jang.”
“Yes?”
“Would you mind staying for just one day—no, two hours. No, three hours. Just for a short while?”
“Eh? All of a sudden?”
“Well… we just want to examine Dragon King's Scale for a bit… We would be forever grateful.”
“That’s right! Master Jang, that scabbard doesn’t even fit right. Let us make one for you. While we're at it, just leave it with us briefly!”
“Exactly!”
“He’s right!”
“Let’s do that!”
The blacksmiths looked at Woo-hyun with bright, pleading eyes.
The famed Tang Clan blacksmiths, masters of forging all types of weapons. To them, Dragon King's Scale was no different from treasure.
‘No, it’s beyond treasure.’
To them, Dragon King's Scale might be a dream or an ideal in itself.
Even if one searched all under Heaven, where else would they find such a weapon?
Burly, bearded men stared at him with sparkly eyes.
Even a master at the peak of absolute martial realms would find this burdensome.
In the end, Woo-hyun had no choice but to concede.
“Alri… ght. I’ll stay at the Tang Clan today and leave tomorrow.”
As he handed over the sword, the blacksmiths erupted in cheers.
***
Deciding to stay at the Tang Clan turned out to be a great choice.
The secret manual found inside the metal dragon.
Upon closer inspection, there wasn’t just one—but two.
One was [Tang Clan Dark Heaven], a manual where Dark Heaven Divine Sword Tang Myung had recorded his personal insights.
The other contained techniques specifically for using Dragon King's Scale.
Thanks to Tang Moon-seong’s consideration, Woo-hyun was able to study their contents.
Dragon Fang Blade
A technique for forming multiple swords from Dragon King's Scale’s blades. It was similar to sword manipulation techniques and could be considered the most basic form.
Whirlwind Blade
A technique for forming a whirlwind with Dragon King's Scale’s blades.
It could devastate the surroundings while keeping the user safe at the center, or trap and grind down a single target within the vortex.
Rain of Dragon Scales
A version of Ten Thousand Heavens Transformed into Rain performed using Dragon King's Scale.
Dragon Scale Armor
A defensive technique that spreads the blades to form armor or a shield. While the exact level of protection was unclear, it appeared to be quite practical.
There were several more techniques written down, but only about four could be utilized immediately.
And since Dragon King's Scale itself offered boundless possibilities, he figured he could develop his own techniques with time.
After studying the manuals and discussing martial arts with Tang Moon-seong, the night quickly passed.
The next day.
Woo-hyun set out once more, with a brand-new scabbard in hand.
***
“This way, please.”
Having left the Tang Clan, Jang Woo-hyun headed to Yunnan, where he met a Hao Sect member at the location Yang Rim had told him about.
The guide was a man in his thirties named Lee Jong-gil.
“We’ve already informed the village. It was a bit difficult, since they’re quite isolated, but we managed to win them over with some gifts they needed.”
Hoping for some praise, Lee Jong-gil continued to explain everything he had done.
It was a bit annoying, but Woo-hyun found the man’s work satisfactory and responded with vague nods.
After about an hour, they reached a village nestled at the base of a mountain.
Lee Jong-gil handed out gifts from the wagon’s roof and cargo area to the villagers and guided Woo-hyun to the village chief’s house.
An old man with a hunched back greeted him with a warm smile.
“Ah, Master Lee, you’ve returned. We received the goods you sent. Thank you.”
“It’s been a while, Chief.”
“So, you’ve come to see the Immortal again today?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’ll take you there.”
‘Immortal? Is that what they call the stele?’
The village chief led them to a corner of the village, where a stone stele stood beneath a roof with no walls. It was slightly smaller than an adult man.
‘What… is this?’
Woo-hyun’s eyes locked onto the stele.
The characters engraved on it—clearly written in Hangul, unlike before—were partially destroyed and unreadable.
[ The sixth Erased □ capital □ this time □ properly □□.
You □ who you are □□□ but □ from the same place □□ came □□ ability □□□ is □□.
□□ refinement □ repeated □□ surpassing limits □□□.
□□□ next step □ here □ □ □□ is.
Go up □ □ silver □□ to □□□.
Never □□□ □□ do it.
□□ this □ system’s truth □□ □□.
First □□□ but unre□ this □□□□□ imagination □□□ called me □□□ □.
Conti□ no □ yet □□□ this □□□ one □□.
□□ from another world □□ so □□□□.
Then □□ □□ means you are also included □ □□.
I □□ □□□ □□. □□ □□□□□ □□ □.
Let’s meet at the top□.
Remember. □□ don’t □□ and □□□.
Then □□□□ □□□.]
‘Demonic God Fist… Min-soo, what in the world is this?’
Woo-hyun’s face twisted in frustration at the incomprehensible message.