Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 16. Dan Yeop, Come Out!
At Byeongma-chong, Dan Yeop was an outsider.
After dropping out in the first cohort, word spread that he hadn’t mastered a single martial art in ten years—so both the trainees and even the weapon masters of the six disciplines paid him no mind.
Over the remaining four days, he all but lived in the Jeommun Training Hall.
He’d never trained with such intensity, not even when the first and second cohorts took their Chulkwan Simsa.
He threw himself desperately into studying the Cheonji Dobeop.
Yet his progress never advanced beyond these three basic forms.
The harder he worked, the more intently he focused, the further the Cheonji Dobeop slipped from his grasp.
One day before the Chulkwan Simsa.
Seeing Dan Yeop laboring alone late into the night, Go Muk, the weapon master of Jeommun, slipped away to find Master Dan Bulwi in secret.
“Master Dan.”
“Oh my! What brings you here at this hour, Master Go?”
To Dan Bulwi, whose eyes held a hint of suspicion, Go Muk spoke bluntly.
“Last year you opposed Dan Yeop’s Chulkwan attempt. Do you still feel the same way this year?”
“What do you mean—”
“You know he’s preparing for the Chulkwan Simsa, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
“Dan Yeop has set his heart on Chulkwan, but I fear it will be difficult again this year. He simply lacks martial talent. To master the Cheonji Dobeop, he’ll need another ten years of training at the very least.”
“Hmm…”
Dan Bulwi nodded slowly, his face impassive.
Seeing this, Go Muk continued in a measured tone.
“Since he so desperately wishes to leave, wouldn’t it be better to let him go? Holding him here wastes both his time and ours. Doesn’t Haowen need more than just warriors?”
It was a fair point.
Yet Dan Bulwi remained unmoved.
Another Dan Yeop existed—one blessed with genius—and that one did not share this wish.
“Master Go, though Dan Yeop is my foster son, I have no intention of granting him special favor. Nor should I.”
“But he desires it so much?”
“I want him to go out into the world and pull his own weight. I ask that you understand my heart in this.”
“Even if he weren’t a warrior, Haowen could certainly—”
“Then he would surely live out his days at the bottom. Wouldn’t he?”
Dan Bulwi’s gaze fixed on Go Muk with quiet intensity.
Go Muk, meeting those eyes, found himself looking away.
‘What a gaze…’
Though Dan Bulwi had become a Hyangjiu far later than himself, Go Muk had a sudden feeling he would lose in any contest between them.
“In any case, I’d appreciate it if you’d judge Dan Yeop by the rules alone.”
“Understood. I’ll defer to your wishes. Then, how should I guide Dan Yeop going forward?”
This was asking what should be done about Dan Yeop, who had been left to fend for himself since the first cohort graduated.
“Let him figure things out on his own.”
In other words: don’t concern yourself with him anymore.
Go Muk studied Dan Bulwi’s expression, troubled by what seemed careless.
Earlier he’d said not to graduate Dan Yeop until he could carry his own weight; now he was saying to leave him to himself.
‘Let a man who can’t even execute a single Cheonji Dobeop form just fend for himself?’
He couldn’t tell if Dan Bulwi was doing this for Dan Yeop’s sake or to ruin him.
Go Muk felt uneasy, but since Dan Bulwi was the boy’s guardian, he said no more.
***
Morning of the Chulkwan Simsa.
The dining hall.
Under ordinary circumstances, Hong Choyeon, the most beautiful woman at Byeongma-chong, would have commanded every eye; but on examination day, all attention fell to Baek Yuhua.
“Baek Yuhua will rank first, won’t she? They say first place automatically becomes Jojang regardless of cohort… I’m jealous.”
“Jojang is Moonwi rank?”
“It is.”
“Wow, Moonwi in her teens. By her twenties she could easily reach Hyangjiu.”
In Haowen, the average Moonwi was in their thirties, and Hyangjiu in their forties.
So for someone to reach Moonwi in their teens was quite extraordinary.
In a corner seat, Dan Yeop eating flatbread alone glanced up slightly.
Baek Yuhua was among the third-cohort trainees.
Though sitting far away, she seemed vivid to him, as if facing him directly across the table.
When she bit into her flatbread, her eyelashes briefly lowered; when she carefully wiped her mouth, her movements were delicate—and to his eyes, everything about her seemed to unfold in slow, tender motion.
Each time her face lit with a quiet laugh at her companions’ jokes, a tingling spread through his chest.
Then, as if seized by sudden resolve, he clenched his fists.
***
After finishing breakfast and returning to his quarters, Dan Yeop’s expression had turned grave.
The Cheonji Dobeop remained stuck in the early stages of this sequence.
At this rate, he’d be nothing but a laughingstock in front of the juniors.
There was no way the martial masters of Yukmun would grant him Chulkwan unless they’d lost their minds entirely.
Dan Yeop had no desire to become the butt of jokes this time.
No—he wanted to go beyond that, to achieve Chulkwan alongside the third-generation trainees.
Seated at the table, he began to write a letter.
Moments later, he crumpled the letter in his fist and drew up his Naegong.
The inner force rising from his Danjeon rushed toward Cheonmok before he could even control it.
Flash!
His eyes snapped open with a brilliant burst of light.
Soon after, realizing he was sitting before the table, he murmured to himself.
“What is this?”
He’d assumed that for ‘Eul’—that foolish Dan Yeop—to be using Naegong, something urgent must have happened. Yet everything was peaceful.
He gave his surroundings a quick survey, then unfolded the letter he’d been holding.
The message was simple.
A desperate plea: pass the Chulkwan Simsa examination.
“Asking me to let him pass Chulkwan? This is a disaster.”
He tucked the letter into his robe and rose to his feet.
He’d gone to sleep before the Chulkwan date was set, yet he’d awakened on the day of the Chulkwan Simsa examination?
That meant ‘Eul’ hadn’t been training his Naegong all this time.
“So that’s it—he was struggling all this time just to keep me from waking up.”
It was absurd, but there was nothing he could do about it.
“What am I going to do about this?”
Dan Yeop sat there, looking utterly lost.
In the distance, a bell rang softly, summoning everyone to gather.
***
“……Next is the Cheonji Dobeop. All trainees who have mastered the Cheonji Dobeop, step forward.”
At Yu Osan’s words, all twenty-five third-generation trainees moved forward.
Yu Osan tilted his head as he surveyed the third-generation trainees.
Dan Yeop from the first generation, who had struggled to participate every year, sat there looking blank.
“Dan Yeop! Are you giving up this year?”
“Yes!”
“Fine, I understand. For the third-generation trainees——”
“Wait!”
Ma Sang, the overall director of Byeongma-chong, cut off Yu Osan mid-sentence.
All eyes suddenly turned to Ma Sang.
“Director Yu, giving up before we’ve even started? The spirit of the Byeongma-chong training grounds has grown soft indeed. The trainees have no choice—they must demonstrate the fruits of their best efforts.”
At the director’s rebuke, Yu Osan hastily called Dan Yeop forward.
“Dan Yeop, come here!”
The tense atmosphere of the Chulkwan Simsa examination, which had been crackling with anticipation, suddenly grew heavy.
Dan Yeop stepped forward reluctantly and took his place beside the third-generation trainees.
The Cheonji Dobeop began at once.
The third-generation trainees drew their Straight Sabers in unison and performed the first sequence: Cheonrae Nakcharm.
After nine continuous movements, they transitioned to the second sequence: Hwongsosan Jeolgyeol.
Dan Yeop only mimicked them partway through, then began making empty gestures for the rest.
Ordinarily, laughter would have erupted among the watching trainees, but today there was only silence.
With the directors’ mood so dark, no one dared even breathe loudly.
The third-generation trainees moved in perfect unison through the third sequence, Poongun Sanghwa, before stopping.
Dan Yeop’s ridiculous swordplay ended a beat too late.
Ma Sang, the overall director, summoned Go Muk, the Jeommun instructor.
“Yes, Director.”
As Go Muk approached, Ma Sang suddenly kicked him in the shin.
“Gasp!”
Go Muk let out a short cry of pain and stumbled backward.
“You! You brat! Thirteen years and this is all you could teach? And you call yourself a martial master? They say even a guard dog can compose poetry after three years, but here’s a perfectly good student who hasn’t mastered a single Cheonji Dobeop after thirteen years? How is that even possible?”
Go Muk felt wronged, but he said nothing—afraid that any excuse would only invite more blows.
“The first and second-generation trainees are out there eating their fill of rice and warming their backs! Getting fat and comfortable—is that all they do? Is this a breeding farm? Do you think you just fatten them up and that’s the end of it?”
Though Ma Sang’s words were directed at Go Muk, his gaze was fixed on Dan Yeop.
Dan Yeop felt a flush of embarrassment and quietly averted his gaze.
The Haowen Master swept through the Chulkwan Simsa hall like a storm, then vanished with three other masters.
A short while later, the Amun martial instructors posted the Chulkwan Simsa results.
Once again, only Dan Yeop had failed.
The third-generation disciples returned to their quarters to pack, leaving Dan Yeop alone in the examination hall.
Dan Bulwi approached the young man, whose face wore an awkward expression.
“Don’t take the Haowen Master’s words too much to heart. He’s been on edge lately because of the troubles plaguing Amun.”
“Is the situation in Hadongdo that grave?”
“No, our branch has taken control of nearly all of Hadongdo. The problem is that the remnant forces who refused to accept our authority have scattered into Hanamdo and Habukdo, and that’s become quite a headache.”
“So the Haowen cells in the other eight provinces are beginning open resistance?”
“Yes, and who are you exactly?”
Dan Bulwi stared at the young man, startled by such keen insight into the situation.
“I am Dan Yeop, of Mangogijaegae.”
“Ah! So Mangogijaegae has awakened you?”
“Yes, and I’m afraid he even left a letter asking me to pass the Chulkwan Simsa.”
“Dear me, his disappointment must be profound.”
“Time will change that to gratitude. If I leave now, I’d be nothing but a sword-bearer.”
“Perhaps so, but I’m curious why you wanted to attempt the Chulkwan in the first place. Do you remember anything unusual?”
“Nothing at all. I have no memories of Mangogijaegae’s time.”
“Hmm. Quite the puzzle, isn’t it?”
“The trouble is, Mangogijaegae is doing everything he can to prevent me from waking. He knows that using Naegong will awaken me, so he’s been avoiding it entirely.”
“Can’t you two reach some compromise?”
“Since I haven’t granted his wishes, he’ll only grow more stubborn from here on.”
“What a situation. If you two could only blend properly, it would be ideal…”
“Is there no way to make Mangogijaegae cultivate his Naegong?”
“Hmm! Try telling him that cultivating Naegong is essential to treating Juwhainipma. Then he won’t be able to simply avoid the practice.”
“That’s excellent. Father, please press him hard on this. I’ll work on finding a way to reconcile with Mangogijaegae.”
“Very well, very well.”
At the word “father,” Dan Bulwi’s lips curved upward.
“By the way, I was thinking of training in a quiet place. I’m worried that because of the Haowen Master, Go Muk might come looking for me.”
“I’ll speak to Go Muk and smooth things over.”
“I trust only you, Father.”
“Haha, yes. Is there anything else you need?”
“I was planning to train hard for several days, and I’d like some Bigyok Dan. I don’t want to waste time going back and forth to the dining hall.”
Just as Mangogijaegae was avoiding Naegong, he too intended to forsake sleep for several days and devote himself entirely to cultivation.
To do that, Bigyok Dan was essential.
“Understood. The Haowen Master has some Bigyok Dan, and I’ll obtain it for you.”
“Can you do it now? I’d like to begin Pyegwan Suyeon starting today if possible.”
“Of course. I’ll go see the Haowen Master at once. Come to the Amun Training Hall in half an hour.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Dan Bulwi gave his adopted son’s shoulder a few encouraging pats before hurrying off in the direction the Haowen Master had gone.
Shortly after, as Dan Yeop made his way back to his quarters with a lighter step, someone called out to him.
“Senior Dan Yeop.”
Dan Yeop turned to find Geum Seojin standing there with a forlorn expression.
“Ah, Geum Seojin. Congratulations on passing the Chulkwan.”
“Thank you. Once I leave today, it will be hard for us to meet, won’t it?”
“I suppose so.”
“I’ll be returning to Amun. When you eventually pass and leave… we can meet then.”
Geum Seojin had started to say “come to Amun,” but stopped herself.
With Dan Yeop’s current level, he would never be able to reach Amun, no matter how hard he tried.
“Yes, stay well.”
After exchanging farewells, Dan Yeop turned away without hesitation.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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