Hyundo scanned Cheonhwi.
‘His body has improved.’
A smile of relief formed on his face.
Of course, he didn't know much about Cheonhwi, nor had they met often.
But when the boy had collapsed, not only had he visited him, but he had also prayed for his safety.
‘Because he is Hyungang’s disciple.’
Staring intently at Cheonhwi, he recalled Hyungang, who was no longer in this world.
Eight years ago.
Hyungang, bringing along the newly appointed Plum Blossom Swordsmen, made his debut in the murim.
And on that very day, Hyundo entered closed-door training.
He was proud of Hyungang for catching up to him so quickly, but at the same time, his competitive spirit as a martial artist had been ignited.
However, that became the mistake of a lifetime.
Half a year later, right after ending his closed-door training, the news he heard was shocking.
—The youngest martial brother and the nephews are dead.
Those were the words spewed by Hyunryeo, who had become unspeakably haggard, the moment he saw him.
Enraged and bursting with fury at those words, he raised hell, vowing revenge.
But everyone stopped him.
The opponent was Baekgwiseong.
It was the Yukhwangmun of the Saheukryeon, a faction that was spreading its might everywhere under heaven.
They said it might be too much for the Hwasan Sect's strength alone, but they could ask the Murim Alliance for help; however, an unexpected answer returned.
Baekgwiseong had also lost their Myeoljeolpgeom and the Myeoljeoldae under his command, so they suggested letting it go, and the Murim Alliance had accepted the proposal.
Therefore, if they wanted revenge, they were told to wage an all-out war, sect against sect.
He was angry, and his fury exploded.
But start an all-out war?
He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Unlike Baekgwiseong, who had only lost one of their six martial squads along with the Myeoljeolpgeom, the Hwasan Sect had lost Hyungang and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, who were their core military strength.
A clear defeat painted itself before his eyes.
He couldn't end the nearly five-hundred-year history of the Hwasan Sect with his own hands.
He eventually gave up and asked Hyunryeo.
‘Where did you bury them?’
‘Following the youngest martial brother’s dying wish, I scattered them as ashes to the sky of Hwasan.’
It felt like his world was collapsing.
It was a statement everyone had laughed at back then.
Asking what kind of dying wish that was.
But no one in the Hwasan Sect knew it would become reality.
After that day, for a long time, he couldn't escape his sorrow.
If only I had gone with them!
If only I hadn't entered closed-door training!
Regret choked Hyundo.
He should have gone with them no matter what.
Yet, for mere competitiveness, he had devoted himself to closed-door training, and because of that, he couldn't even welcome the corpses of Hyungang and his nephews.
At that time, Martial Brother Hyunchung let go of everything and entered the Mangyeongak.
‘It is all because our sect is weak.’
The words he spoke before entering the Mangyeongak brought a massive shock to Hyundo.
‘If I become an Absolute Master, I will never experience something like this again!’
He came to his senses and devoted himself to training once more.
To become an Absolute Master.
Perhaps it was because he set everything aside and devoted himself solely to training.
Only after six years did he barely reach the end of the Muguk Realm, and he could see the Cheonmu Realm right before his eyes.
Now, just a single step.
If he took that one step, he would reach the Cheonmu Realm and become an Absolute Master.
However.
‘It still slips through my grasp.’
Even now, the wall of the Cheonmu Realm only flickered before him; he couldn't approach it.
For a whole two years.
Thud—
Hyundo slumped down on the floor.
Afterward, tapping the floor with his right hand, which had thick calluses, he spoke.
"Sit down for now."
Cheonhwi soon took a seat.
"Before learning martial arts, you must first build the foundation of a mental cultivation method, so I will teach you the Tu Na method first."
Hyundo immediately, fumblingly recalling the time long ago when he first learned martial arts, moved his lips.
"Your heart and body must be clean to receive righteous qi. Spitting out the ancient qi, the old turbid energy accumulated inside the body, is the beginning. After that, taking a deep breath to inhale clean energy is the Tu Na method's..."
Exhale, inhale.
It was a long explanation, but in the end, those two things were the entire conclusion.
*Yawn, so when does it end?*
He blinked his eyes at the boring explanation.
But he had to pretend to listen.
Because Hyundo was sitting across from him with fire in his eyes, constantly glaring at him.
Like that, pretending to listen, letting Hyundo's explanation go in one ear and out the other, about an hour passed.
"This is the Tu Na method."
Hyundo finished speaking.
*It's finally over.*
Just as he was about to put strength into his heavy eyelids.
"Then try it once."
Hyundo said with a smile.
Even if the Tu Na method was the foundation of mental cultivation, there was no way he could perform it with just one explanation when he knew nothing.
Usually, one would demonstrate or flow true qi to help the learner grasp the Tu Na method.
But he intentionally didn't do so.
‘Please teach Cheonhwi martial arts.’
Since he had accepted Hyunryeo's request—who rarely asked him for favors—to teach Cheonhwi, Hyundo intended to do it thoroughly.
‘I'll see how the situation goes and flow my true qi or something to let him feel the qi.’
That was his martial philosophy.
That acting once was more efficient than listening a hundred times.
"Understood."
Cheonhwi assumed the lotus position.
"Yes, yes. That posture."
Hyundo smiled with satisfaction.
It was a better posture than he had thought.
Most young children couldn't even assume the lotus position properly, but Cheonhwi was taking a perfect posture, like a Daoist who had trained for a long time.
‘He must have imitated the youngest martial brother after seeing him.’
As he was looking at the lotus position that looked just like the youngest martial brother, and about to fall into memories—
*Sip, haa.*
Cheonhwi, with his eyes closed, repeated inhaling and exhaling several times.
About an hour passed like that.
Smoothly—
Cheonhwi opened his eyes.
"I'm done."
Hyundo nodded.
"That is qi circulation. If you do the Tu Na method every day without missing a single day like that, at some point, you will feel a heterogeneous energy different from usual..."
"Are you talking about the energy that comes into the mouth and strikes the lower dantian?"
"That's right. Accumulating the energy that strikes the lower dantian becomes internal energy... What?"
Hyundo wore a blank expression.
Feeling energy on the first attempt at qi circulation?
It was nonsense.
"W-what do you mean?"
"As you explained just now, Fourth Martial Uncle, I stored it in my lower dantian."
He let out a hollow laugh at the following words.
He thought it was a joke.
"Haha. That's too much of a joke."
"A joke?"
Hyundo, who had dismissed it as a child's prank, stiffened as he saw Cheonhwi's expression.
There was not a single trace of falsehood on that face.
"...Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Give me your hand."
Cheonhwi offered his right hand.
After grabbing Cheonhwi's pale, slender wrist and injecting true qi to check his lower dantian, Hyundo's jaw dropped.
"...!"
He almost jumped to his feet.
Internal energy had accumulated in the lower dantian.
It was still as small as a speck of dust, but it was extremely pure internal energy.
"H-how?"
"I did as you said."
"Exactly as the oral instruction?"
"Yes."
"That's ridiculous!"
"Excuse me? What do you mean ridiculous?"
"How can you accumulate internal energy in one go just by listening to the oral instruction?"
"Then were you telling me to do something ridiculous?"
Cheonhwi tilted his head.
Of course, he was sneering inwardly.
*A guy with no skill is testing me?*
Catching on that he was trying to test him, he intentionally feigned ignorance.
Unaware of Cheonhwi's thoughts, Hyundo shook his head and spoke in a low voice.
"I was going to help you if you got stuck. I was going to flow true qi to induce the energy to flow. But..."
As the bewildered Hyundo poured out his thoughts, he belatedly came to his senses. Then, he put strength into his hand.
Squeeze—
"Heavenly Venerable didn't just take the youngest martial brother away for nothing! Hahahaha!"
Cheonhwi looked at Hyundo, who had suddenly burst into laughter, with a puzzled expression.
*Is he crazy?*
Laughing uproariously, not knowing what was so joyous, Hyundo released his grip on Cheonhwi's wrist.
*That hurts.*
Cheonhwi shook his throbbing wrist.
Hyundo's red handprint was clearly left on his wrist, and it was swelling up.
Looking at Cheonhwi rubbing his wrist, Hyundo opened his mouth.
"I will teach you the mental cultivation method."
It was a groundbreaking statement.
Normally, even if one accumulated internal energy, they had to become accustomed to the Tu Na method before learning the mental cultivation method; it was virtually a custom of the Hwasan Sect.
But Hyundo skipped the process.
‘It's an astonishing talent to not only feel qi with a single attempt at the Tu Na method, but also accumulate internal energy in the lower dantian.’
It was too much of a waste to let such talent rot by wasting time on the Tu Na method.
‘He'll understand if I tell the Sect Leader later.’
Cheonhwi looked at Hyundo, who was lost in thought.
‘Huh? I heard the orthodox sects learn martial arts step by step? I guess the Hwasan Sect is different.’
It was a groundbreaking act of ignoring custom for the sake of one person, but Cheonhwi, the person involved, didn't think much of it.
"What I will teach you is the Plum Blossom Qi Gong. It is a mental cultivation method that only the core disciples of our sect can learn, and it is the foundation of all our sect's martial arts."
Hyundo's explanation grew long.
But this time, it wasn't boring.
*It feels different from what I read?*
He had read about the Plum Blossom Qi Gong in martial arts manuals, and the incantations were exactly the same.
However, Hyundo added his own interpretation in between to make it easier to understand, and that was drawing his interest.
"Combine the internal energy into one..."
* * *
The next day, when Cheonhwi returned from the Mangyeongak, Hyundo was waiting.
"Fourth Martial Uncle?"
Hyundo offered the wooden sword in his hand.
"Take it."
He received the wooden sword without thinking.
Then, Hyundo drew his sword.
The White Lotus Sword, which would normally boast a snow-white blade, was dyed by the sunset.
Following that, he raised his sword.
Smoothly—
In truth, his body was burning with excitement.
It was because of what happened yesterday.
Cheonhwi had absorbed the oral incantations of the Plum Blossom Qi Gong perfectly and achieved the Lesser Heavenly Circuit.
In less than two hours!
At that moment, he realized.
‘A genius that will go down in history!’
Afterward, he made a plan.
A plan to raise Cheonhwi into a master who would go down in the history of the Hwasan Sect—no, the history of the murim.
"Watch carefully. This is our sect's sword technique, the Yukhap Sword Art."
Hyundo demonstrated the Yukhap Sword Art.
Swish— Swish—
The sword was swung powerfully.
Cheonhwi, who had been glaring at Hyundo who was unilaterally speaking and acting, changed his gaze the moment the sword art began.
The sword Hyundo swung sliced through all directions.
The sharp White Lotus Sword, swung in every direction a human could move, was so free that it seemed capable of handling any situation.
*But isn't it a bit unnatural?*
Cheonhwi stared intently at Hyundo.
To find what was unnatural.
An hour later, after fully demonstrating the Yukhap Sword Art, Hyundo sheathed his sword and opened his mouth.
"Did you see it well?"
"I saw it."
"Then I will explain the stances now."
He raised his sword again.
And demonstrating the first stance he had swung earlier, he began to explain.
"First is the first stance, Yukhap Opening Array. Taking a step forward like this and raising the sword high is the starting posture. And in this state..."
After demonstrating the first stance, Yukhap Opening Array, and the remaining five stances, Hyundo sheathed his sword and spoke.
"Then try it."
He readjusted his grip on the wooden sword.
A slight exhilaration rose in his chest at holding a sword after a long time.
*A sword, it's been a while.*
He performed the Yukhap Sword Art for now.
As he repeated it a few times.
*There's the problem.*
He found the reason why it felt unnatural when Hyundo performed the Yukhap Sword Art earlier.
There was no connection between the stances at all.
Looking at the stances individually, they seemed complete, but when performing the Yukhap Sword Art all at once, the flaws stood out.
*It would be better to perform it like this instead.*
Swish!
Instantly, the Yukhap Sword Art began to change.
The sword, which had been moving freely without any relation between the stances, started to ride the flow and weave into one.
Hyundo's brow furrowed as he watched the change from beginning to end.
At first, he thought he was swinging it well as taught, but as time passed, the sword art was changing horribly.
‘To think he'd be this clumsy.’
They say great expectations lead to great disappointment; he felt a sense of regret.
‘No, too much is as bad as too little. For a child who has never even held a sword, that level is fully satisfactory.’
He shook his head.
It was a bit disappointing, but it was fine.
‘Unlike internal energy cultivation, which requires elixirs and comprehension, sword arts can reach their realm quickly with effort.’
Nodding once, Hyundo strode over to Cheonhwi, who was failing to perform the Yukhap Sword Art properly.
"Clumsy. Didn't I explain the Yukhap Sword Art? When you swing it like this, you have to raise the sword. You must split the Heavens to truly bloom..."
"But isn't it more natural to swing it like this?"
In normal times, Hyundo would have been angry at being interrupted.
But after yesterday's encounter, the distance between them had narrowed considerably, to the point where Hyundo could understand Cheonhwi interrupting or talking to him casually.
Hyundo stared intently at Cheonhwi, who had an expression that seemed to ask, 'Why don't you know this?', and asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"Watch."
Answering, Cheonhwi immediately unleashed the Yukhap Sword Art, which he had modified as he pleased, in one breath.
Swish— Swish—
At first glance, it looked the same as what Hyundo had performed, but it wasn't sharp, and the true essence of the Yukhap Sword Art was gone. Soon, the sword art completely changed.
"You brat!"
Hyundo, who had been watching silently, sharply opened his eyes wide.
"The Yukhap Sword Art is a sword technique passed down through generations in our sect. Yet you dare to try and change the sword art as you please? Are you trying to commit the sin of deceiving your master and forsaking your ancestors?"
"But this is better."
"You still haven't come to your senses!"
Yelling furiously, he drew his sword once again, radiating internal force.
"Watch closely how vain the act you were trying to commit is."
To make him realize how big of a mistake he was trying to make, Hyundo copied the Yukhap Sword Art Cheonhwi had just performed.
First stance, Yukhap Opening Array.
Second stance, Yukhap Nine Streams.
And by the time he swung the third stance, Yukhap Bitter Rain.
Swish— Swish—
Without realizing it, he was gradually being drawn in.
Like that, he performed the completely transformed Yukhap Sword Art to the end.
"...."
An hour later, Hyundo stood there blankly.
The sword trajectories of the Yukhap Sword Art he had just performed were still vivid in his eyes.
"Such a natural connection..."
Cheonhwi approached Hyundo, who was still unable to escape the profound lingering impression, and parted his lips.
"I'm right, aren't I?"