The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 23

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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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23
The Sword and the Mountain
Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang suddenly looked back.
Far in the distance, the village where they had stayed for a day came into view. However, a massive pillar of fire was erupting from the center of the village.
Woo Geom-san recognized at a single glance that the place where the flames were soaring was Baihong Temple.
“The temple is burning. Do you think the villagers set it on fire?”
“Most likely.”
Baek Ho-yang nodded slowly.
Originally, today was supposed to be the day of the Honglian Festival.
They had gone expecting to see the handsome Holy Monk and the beautiful Four Immortals of Baihong, but those waiting for them were nothing but hideously aged old monks and crones.
It was easy enough to guess the sheer rage of the village men upon realizing that the partners they had coupled with until now were not beautiful women, but repulsive old hags.
Whether the old Holy Monk and the crones would even survive was something neither of them could know.
Yet one thing was certain: Baihong Temple, which had served as their stronghold, would be reduced to ashes and could never be rebuilt again.
Baek Ho-yang moved his feet as he spoke.
“Let us leave the village matters to the villagers and go on our way.”
“Yes, Master!”
Woo Geom-san nodded and followed behind Baek Ho-yang.
Even after experiencing such a major event the previous night, Woo Geom-san’s routine remained unchanged.
He walked while maintaining his Righteous Breathing, his right hand continuously rolling the Steel Balls.
The only difference from before was that breathing had become significantly easier.
Every time he practiced Righteous Breathing, he could feel the internal and external Qi entering and exiting through his Dantian.
Even without any conscious effort, the Qi used his body as a pathway to flow seamlessly.
Thanks to this, walking was no longer as exhausting as it used to be.
Noticing his lightened steps, Baek Ho-yang remarked,
“Unintentionally, you have entered the state of Mindless Serenity.”
“The state of Mindless Serenity?”
“Indeed! It is the introductory stage of the Choyeon Simgyeol, where Qi flows naturally without you having to force it. Normally, one must practice Righteous Breathing for at least five years to enter this realm, yet you have leaped across it in a single bound. It seems this is exactly what they mean when they say a misfortune can turn into a blessing.”
The greatest characteristic of the Choyeon Simgyeol was that one had to feel the flow of Qi with their entire body.
Instead of forcefully operating a Mental Law to draw out and use Qi, it was crucial to feel how the Qi flowed when the body was in its most natural state.
However, this was no easy task for those who had already learned existing Mental Laws or Martial Arts.
By nature, a Mental Law is a form of Gongfu researched and refined over many years to produce the highest efficiency with the minimum amount of strength.
Learning it is difficult enough, but forgetting what has already been learned is nigh impossible.
Since they already possessed a Mental Law capable of yielding maximum efficiency, abandoning a familiar method to start anew was a daunting prospect for any Martial Artist.
For this reason, even within the Quanzhen Sect, there were not many who had properly mastered the Choyeon Simgyeol.
On the other hand, Woo Geom-san’s Dantian was ruined, leaving him completely unable to use the Mental Law he had previously learned.
Conversely, his Qi Sense was remarkably sharp.
Even when he did not intend to, he sensitively felt and reacted to the flow of Qi.
It was an exceptionally rare talent.
Perhaps he was simply a perfect match for the Choyeon Simgyeol.
Yet, just because one had learned Righteous Breathing did not mean they could immediately step into the state of Mindless Serenity.
It took at least five to ten years of Cultivation Training to achieve the state of Mindless Serenity.
And yet, Woo Geom-san had skipped all those years to reach this stage in an instant.
Although it was an unintended byproduct obtained during the process of overcoming the aphrodisiac known as the Heavenly Pleasure Pill, it was also a miracle that would have been absolutely impossible without his own ironclad willpower and relentless effort.
“Though you have entered the state of Mindless Serenity faster than others, if you slack off in your Cultivation Training or become arrogant, you will end up achieving nothing at all. Whenever you enter a new stage in any Martial Arts, you must train even harder to truly make it your own. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master! I will focus on my Cultivation Training without wasting a single moment.”
“Good! That is all that matters.”
Baek Ho-yang smiled, thoroughly pleased with Woo Geom-san’s response.
In truth, Woo Geom-san did not slack off in his training for even a single moment after leaving the village.
He breathed righteously, walked righteously, and rolled the Steel Balls with his fingers.
The two Steel Balls he started with had already increased to three.
Clack, clack!
The three Steel Balls spun in tandem like interlocking gears inside Woo Geom-san’s palm.
By rolling the Steel Balls during the day and threading needles at night, Woo Geom-san treated his ruined hand.
Through such endless endeavor, the movements of Woo Geom-san’s hand had now become exceedingly natural.
Though he had not recovered his past grip strength, his fine motor skills had almost reached the level they were at prior to his injury.
Even so, Woo Geom-san did not neglect his training.
The very act of walking through the daily routine with Baek Ho-yang was a form of Cultivation Training.
When two months had passed in that manner, the two men were finally able to reach their destination.
“Wow!”
Woo Geom-san’s jaw dropped at the sight of the massive, endlessly stretching mountain range.
Countless mountains gathered together to form a single, gargantuan mass.
The overwhelming sense of mass and sheer scale radiating from it was incomparable to any other mountain range.
Clouds hung so thick around the mid-slopes that the peaks were entirely hidden from view.
With a stunned expression, Woo Geom-san asked,
“Do people really live inside such high mountains?”
“They do. Even up at those heights, there are villages, and many people make their living there.”
Before Baek Ho-yang’s eyes, it felt as if his childhood self, running and playing with his friends on Cheonbaeksan, was coming into view.
Though decades had passed since he left his hometown, he could still vividly remember the faces of his friends.
Even though he had no way of knowing if they were still alive.
“Let us head up.”
“Yes, Master!”
“The path is steep, so watch your step.”
Cheonbaeksan’s terrain was so rugged that its trails were treacherous.
Even someone accustomed to mountain paths could plunge down a bottomless cliff with a single misstep.
Woo Geom-san nodded and followed closely behind Baek Ho-yang.
The mountain trail was incredibly harsh right from the start.
Had Baek Ho-yang not been leading the way, it would have been hard to believe that this was a path meant for humans.
The terrain was so unforgiving that his face grew flushed and his breath turned ragged after walking only a short distance.
Woo Geom-san simply let his breath be ragged if it was ragged, and his steps be heavy if they were heavy.
If he breathed righteously and walked righteously, the problem would resolve itself.
Instead, Woo Geom-san focused on the energy of Cheonbaeksan.
Just as Baek Ho-yang had said, a uniquely powerful aura was embedded within Cheonbaeksan.
It seemed to be a natural consequence of its sky-piercing terrain.
When Woo Geom-san opened his Qi Sense, the aura lingering in Cheonbaeksan responded.
Through his breathing, the Qi of Cheonbaeksan began to flow in and out of his body.
The energy was more intense than anything he had ever felt, catching Woo Geom-san slightly off guard.
The Qi moved along Woo Geom-san’s Energy Channels as if it were strolling through its own home.
By leaving it to flow freely, his breathing and his footsteps stabilized.
Only then did Woo Geom-san finally find the leeway to survey his surroundings.
Cheonbaeksan was far more rugged and beautiful than it appeared from a distance.
It was enough to make anyone understand why it was named the chief mountain beneath the heavens.
‘This truly is a place where it wouldn’t be strange for immortals to dwell.’
It felt as if immortals might live atop the cloud-shrouded peaks, while sinister entities might lurk within the deep, distant gorges.
Just setting foot into Cheonbaeksan made his mind and body feel naturally purified.
It was at that moment.
“My word.”
At the sudden sound of Baek Ho-yang’s voice, Woo Geom-san snapped out of his thoughts and looked ahead.
A look of bewilderment washed over Woo Geom-san’s face.
Before them stood a literal mountain of colossal fallen boulders.
Baek Ho-yang muttered,
“It seems a major landslide has occurred.”
“The path appears completely blocked.”
Just as Woo Geom-san said, the fallen rocks were piled as high as hills, erasing any trace of the trail.
Baek Ho-yang stepped closer to the debris.
The size of a single fallen boulder was larger than an ordinary house.
And such boulders were stacked precariously layer upon layer, too many to count.
For those who had mastered Martial Arts, they could easily leap over it by executing a Lightness Skill, but it was a dizzying height that ordinary people could never hope to scale.
Baek Ho-yang examined the surface of the rocks.
Green moss was gradually growing over the stone.
“Judging by the small amount of moss that has grown, it appears this landslide did not happen too long ago.”
“How long do you think it has been?”
“About three or four months?”
“Hmm! Then the villagers must be isolated as well.”
“This isn’t the only path that leads down the mountain, so they wouldn’t be completely isolated. However, since they would have to circumvent the entire mountain range, the time required to descend must have multiplied several times over.”
“Oh dear.”
As the time spent traversing the mountains increased, the level of danger was bound to rise as well.
Particularly on a treacherous mountain like Cheonbaeksan, the danger would escalate to a degree beyond words.
It was a trial far too cruel for ordinary villagers to endure.
“I worry for how the people are faring.”
“Let us hurry up, Master.”
“We must climb over this boulder zone. Be exceptionally careful not to fall.”
“Yes, Master!”
Woo Geom-san replied vigorously.
To be truthful, the prospect of climbing over these massive boulders filled him with a sense of dread. However, looking for another route at this point would be entirely too inefficient.
He had to find a way over the rocks no matter what.
Steeling his resolve, Woo Geom-san began to scale the debris.
Unlike Baek Ho-yang, who could clear the height of several massive boulders in a single leap, he had to scramble upward bit by bit.
Climbing this massive boulder field was a monumental challenge for Woo Geom-san.
Of course, with Baek Ho-yang beside him, he wouldn’t fall to his death, but that didn’t mean the danger evaporated entirely.
Nevertheless, Woo Geom-san believed in himself.
He believed in the sheer effort he had poured into his training during his time with Baek Ho-yang.
Woo Geom-san emptied his mind of everything else and focused solely on ascending the landslide area.
The moss-covered rock surfaces were slick, causing him to almost slip and plunge backward several times. Yet, each time, Woo Geom-san exquisitely regained his balance and overcame the crisis.
Baek Ho-yang climbed the mountain while keeping a close eye on Woo Geom-san from a short distance away.
In his heart, he wanted to simply scoop Woo Geom-san up into his arms and carry him up the mountain.
It was an effortless task for him.
With his capabilities, he could cross this boulder field in the blink of an eye and reach the village.
But doing so would provide absolutely no help to Woo Geom-san’s growth.
While he was worried about the villagers who might have been isolated for a long time, there was nothing he could immediately do to help them right this second anyway.
Ultimately, the most they could do right now was to check on their well-being.
He could not afford to throw away a prime opportunity for Woo Geom-san’s growth merely to check on their safety a few minutes sooner.
Countless training methods existed in the world.
Through long years of research by many masters, various ways to condition the physical body to its absolute limits had been developed.
However, no conditioning method was as effective as climbing a mountain.
Climbing a mountain developed cardiorespiratory endurance and harmonized muscular growth, thereby enhancing physical coordination.
Particularly, scaling a cliff face that was near-vertical yielded even greater results.
Scaling a cliff was an extreme training method that forced one to utilize every single muscle in the body without exception.
For someone like Woo Geom-san, whose physical harmony had been shattered by multiple severe wounds, no better conditioning method existed.
Sweat poured like rain down Woo Geom-san’s entire body as he scaled the boulder zone.
Beads of sweat rolled into his eyes, but Woo Geom-san did not so much as knit his brows.
He lacked the luxury to wipe away the sweat.
A moment of distraction would result in a fall, so he poured his entire consciousness exclusively into climbing the rock field.
From his frame, an intense heat was radiating outward.
Baek Ho-yang watched Woo Geom-san’s display in silence.
This was because, to his eyes, the Qi of the surrounding area could be clearly seen entering and exiting Woo Geom-san’s body.
The Qi of Cheonbaeksan was using Woo Geom-san’s body as a playground, frolicking within it to its heart’s content. Perhaps because of this, Woo Geom-san’s movements were growing steadily faster.
Watching the boy, Baek Ho-yang murmured to himself,
‘I might have to pass down the second stage of the Choyeon Simgyeol to him much sooner than I anticipated.’

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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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