The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 32

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

32
Woo Geom-san Competes for Supremacy
The winter in Cheonbaeksan was exceedingly harsh.
Once it started snowing, it would routinely pour for days on end, piling up as high as a person’s height.
Naturally, the work of connecting the plank road to the canyon was halted, and everyone refrained from going outside.
The only thing the village people could do was occasionally step outside to clear the snow accumulated on their roofs so that their houses wouldn’t collapse.
Consequently, not even a shadow of a person could be seen on the streets.
Yet, there were those who walked alone through the deserted streets.
The men walking silently with scarves covering the lower halves of their faces were none other than Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang.
Woo Geom-san stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky.
The entire world was dyed in pristine white, to the point where one couldn’t distinguish where the mountains ended and the sky began.
It was only because Woo Geom-san had spent several months in Cheonbaeksan that he could discern his surroundings; a newcomer would have easily frozen to death while wandering aimlessly through the snow.
Baek Ho-yang also looked up at the sky and spoke.
“This winter is exceptionally cold and heavy with snow. We will have to wait a long time before spring arrives.”
“Will the village people be alright?”
“They have stockpiled plenty of supplies, so as long as their houses don’t collapse, they will hold out well enough.”
“That is a relief.”
Woo Geom-san smiled.
He knew just how hard the village people had been preparing since autumn to survive the winter safely.
Woo Geom-san had also helped them diligently by their side.
Thanks to that, he had now come to understand farming quite well.
While he couldn’t compare to the village people who had farmed their whole lives, he was at a level where he wouldn’t make a nuisance of himself anywhere.
Farming for the first time in his life was more enjoyable than it was strenuous.
The joy of harvesting crops with one’s own sweat is something no one can truly understand without experiencing it firsthand.
When he was at the Woo Family Manor, his body was comfortable, but he had never known this kind of joy.
He was already looking forward to next spring’s farming.
Woo Geom-san climbed the mountain while engaging in a quiet conversation with Baek Ho-yang.
The snow falling since morning obstructed their vision, but it could not stop the two men.
After walking for a long time, they arrived at the very place where Woo Geom-san had been practicing his martial arts to the point of boredom since autumn.
It was here that Woo Geom-san had honed his Flowing Void Steps and Chaeuolsu.
Thanks to that, his martial arts had been able to advance by leaps and bounds.
Baek Ho-yang brushed the snow off a rock and sat down.
“Let us see your achievements.”
“Yes!”
Woo Geom-san replied confidently and stood in the middle of the forest.
The forest, which had become his training ground since autumn, had transformed into a flat, open space before he knew it.
Though it was covered in pristine white snow, he knew exactly where a pebble protruded or a tree root swelled as clearly as looking at the palm of his hand.
Woo Geom-san closed his eyes for a moment and regulated his breathing. Then, the external Qi began to flow into his body.
As the Qi moved, a flow was generated.
Just as the wind blows and water flows from high places to low places, the Qi also moved in search of empty spaces.
In Woo Geom-san’s eyes, the flow of Qi generated in that manner was vividly visible.
He surrendered his body to the flow of Qi.
The sight of his body moving naturally along with the Qi was as beautiful as a painting.
Baek Ho-yang watched Woo Geom-san’s movements and marveled.
“You can now execute Smooth Flow with mastery.”
The appearance of Woo Geom-san moving fleetingly while riding the flow of Qi was an art form in itself.
Riding the Smooth Flow, Woo Geom-san’s form suddenly appeared on the other side of a massive tree.
He appeared so naturally that anyone who didn’t know better would have mistakenly believed he had been standing in that spot from the very beginning.
“That is a proper Stepping on the Void.”
Baek Ho-yang smiled.
His Stepping on the Void, which involved moving by finding places where flows of Qi conflicted or spaces that became instantly vacant, appeared quite mature.
The connection between Smooth Flow and Stepping on the Void was seamless.
Only now could it be said that he had truly stepped into the genuine Flowing Void Steps.
Woo Geom-san began to swing his hands, popping up here and there throughout the forest.
The external Qi synchronized with his hand movements, which were as gentle as plucking tea leaves yet as powerful as snatching the moon.
The Qi moved according to Woo Geom-san’s gestures, forming a powerful current.
Whish!
With Woo Geom-san at the center of the swirling current, the pristine white snow piled on the ground soared into the air.
The white snow fluttered here and there along with Woo Geom-san’s movements, swirling through the void.
Seeing Woo Geom-san playing with the snow, Baek Ho-yang clapped his hands and burst into a bright laugh.
Clap!
“Hahaha! That is a proper Chaeuolsu.”
The achievement in Chaeuolsu was not deep. However, because he had learned it properly from the basics, his movements were as soft as the wind.
Above all, what made Baek Ho-yang truly delighted was the Choyeon Simgyeol.
Woo Geom-san’s Choyeon Simgyeol, which began with Righteous Breathing, was faithfully adhering to the core principles of Inhaling Wind, Exhaling Water.
Woo Geom-san had surpassed Gihwa Jayeon, the second stage of the Choyeon Simgyeol, and had entered the initial phase of Muwi Eonggi, the third stage.
Once one reaches this realm, it becomes possible to fight not with ‘my own strength’ but with the ‘flow’.
Instead of opposing the opponent’s energy, one accepts it, making it possible to fight by hitching a ride on the flow.
Baek Ho-yang spoke to Woo Geom-san, who was catching his rough breath after finishing a bout of martial practice.
“Only now can I finally pass down the Choyen Sword Technique to you.”
“Have I earned the right?”
“Indeed. The minimum requirement to enter the Choyen Sword Technique is that you must be able to masterfully execute the Flowing Void Steps after entering the Muwi Eonggi stage. Although the Choyen Sword Technique, Choyeon Simgyeol, and Flowing Void Steps are divided into three disciplines for convenience, they can be considered a single martial art. If even one of these three is missing, not a single one can ever be perfected. It is truly a Trinity of martial arts.”
“How many forms in total comprise the Choyen Sword Technique?”
“It consists of nine forms in total. The Huifengjue you saw is the fifth form among them.”
The Choyen Sword Technique was the summation of the Quanzhen Sect’s martial arts.
The essence of the Quanzhen Sect’s hundreds of years was contained within those nine forms.
The name of the first form was called Cheongryugyeol.
It was a sword form utilizing the flow, something that had been emphasized to the point of boredom ever since he was taught the Flowing Void Steps.
The stronger the opponent was, the stronger the flow they were bound to create.
Cheongryugyeol was a sword style that rode the opponent’s powerful momentum to close the distance and pierce through their openings.
Only by mastering Cheongryugyeol could one enter Heosilgyeol, the second form, and this carried a massive flow connecting to the third form, Flowing Cloud Form, the fourth form, Heart-Shattering Resolution, the fifth form, Huifengjue, the sixth form, Banryugyeol, the seventh form, Chimgonggyeol, the eighth form, Heogonggyeol, and finally the last form, Jayeongyeol.
Those who have not mastered the Choyeon Simgyeol and Flowing Void Steps can absolutely never understand or feel this massive flow.
That was why Baek Ho-yang had strictly enforced the Choyeon Simgyeol and Flowing Void Steps upon Woo Geom-san.
“With just the third stage of the Choyeon Simgyeol you have mastered, you can learn up to the fourth form of the Choyen Sword Technique. However, to learn the latter five forms, you must absolutely enter the realm of Choyeon Muae, the fourth stage of the Choyeon Simgyeol. In particular, to execute Jayeongyeol, the final form of the Choyen Sword Technique, you must enter the realm of Jayeon Ilche, the final stage of the Choyeon Simgyeol. This is an untrodden realm that even I have not mastered yet.”
Enlightenment was like a drifting cloud or mist.
It clearly felt within reach, but when one reached out to grasp it, it slipped through the fingers.
That was exactly Baek Ho-yang’s current state.
It felt as though he could master Jayeongyeol if he reached out just a little further, yet it remained elusive and drifted further away.
Therefore, he had currently given up on mastering Jayeongyeol.
Because his age was so advanced, there was not much time left for him to obsess over Jayeongyeol.
He did not want to spend his remaining time focusing solely on Jayeongyeol.
Since he had returned to his hometown in his later years, he wanted to settle his life while doing various meaningful things.
One of them was precisely forging a new path for the village. And the other was passing down the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect to Woo Geom-san.
Aside from the Choyen Sword Technique, the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect were countless.
He needed to organize these and hand them over to Woo Geom-san. Only then could the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect be passed down to future generations without the lineage being severed.
Although Baek Ho-yang did not hold a very great lingering attachment to the survival of the Quanzhen Sect itself, it was still his wish that the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect would at least endure.
It was merely because the most important martial art in the Quanzhen Sect was the Choyen Sword Technique that he was passing it down with priority.
He intended to let him know the remaining martial arts once Woo Geom-san attained a certain degree of achievement and gained some leeway.
Even if he didn’t master them directly, the idea was to have him memorize them first.
Baek Ho-yang picked up a dead branch from the ground.
“From now on, I will demonstrate Cheongryugyeol, so keep it in your mind. In particular, you must remember well the flow that arises when executing Cheongryugyeol.”
“In the end, the flow of Qi is what matters.”
“Correct. At first, you surrender your body to a fierce flow like a solitary leaf on a small boat; once you become accustomed to this, you control the flow to move according to your will; and ultimately, becoming one with the flow can be called the core essence of the Choyen Sword Technique.”
Even without a detailed explanation, Woo Geom-san’s comprehension in piercing through to the core essence of the Choyeon Simgyeol was admirable.
It was Baek Ho-yang’s wish that Woo Geom-san would continue to maintain this diligent attitude and sharp comprehension in the future.
After shaking the snow off the branch, Baek Ho-yang began to display Cheongryugyeol.
His body became a blue wind, navigating through every corner of the forest.
Swishhh!
The snow falling from the sky and the snow soaring from the ground became one, swirling around Baek Ho-yang’s body.
Slash!
Every time Baek Ho-yang brandished the branch, a powerful yet natural flow of Qi erupted.
Each time the slender branch whipped and bent flexibly, sword marks were carved into the empty air.
The snow that had been falling and filling the void split apart, momentarily revealing the blue sky.
It was an unbelievable level of martial prowess.
Infusing Qi into a sword to amplify its power is called Sword Qi.
Sword Qi is much like a heat haze, so while its power is strong, its efficiency is not that great.
This is because there is a lot of wasteful consumption of Qi.
The next stage after this is called Sword Qi Forming Gang.
Literally, it meant that the Sword Qi condensed into one, emitting a strong light like a star.
Once one reaches the stage of Sword Qi Forming Gang, the wasteful consumption of Qi disappears.
One becomes able to fully utilize the power of properly condensed Qi.
Even reaching the level of emitting Sword Qi earns one the treatment of an Expert in the Jianghu, but a true peak expert must be able to generate Sword Qi Forming Gang, that is, Sword Gang.
There were not very many peak experts in the Jianghu who had reached the realm of emitting Sword Gang or Fist Gang.
At most, they numbered only about one or two hundred.
While it might sound like a large number just hearing the digit, it was a mere fraction when considering that the number of martial artists active in the Jianghu exceeded at least tens of thousands.
To that extent, that lofty realm was Sword Qi Forming Gang, namely the Seonggang Realm.
Of course, the power was divided further depending on the size of the Gang Qi and the depth of enlightenment, but once one reached this level of attainment, it was difficult to find a match in the Jianghu.
During his childhood, Woo Geom-san had seen a certain transcendent old expert split a massive boulder in two by creating Sword Gang.
Compared to that brilliantly shining sword, Baek Ho-yang’s branch was incomparably humble.
There was no brilliantly shining Sword Gang, nor could any heat haze-like Sword Qi be seen rising, yet its sheer power did not seem inferior at all to the Sword Gang of the old expert he had seen in his youth.
There was no systematized form existing in the Cheongryugyeol displayed by Baek Ho-yang.
He traversed the void freely like the wind, cleaving through space.
His appearance, moving along the wind like a butterfly, gave Woo Geom-san a great deal of inspiration.
Woo Geom-san widened his eyes and watched intently so as not to miss a single one of his movements.
As he watched Baek Ho-yang’s sword dance, a certain burning heat surged inside Woo Geom-san’s chest.
He wanted to move like Baek Ho-yang and brandish a sword just like him.
A powerful yearning drove Woo Geom-san to move.
Woo Geom-san picked up a dead branch from the ground, just as Baek Ho-yang had done. Then, by Baek Ho-yang’s side, he brandished the branch just like him.
At first, it was bound to be clumsy, naturally.
However, Woo Geom-san was not discouraged.
Because he knew that he was walking the proper path.
Even though it was his first time executing the Choyen Sword Technique, the reason he felt such certainty was precisely because he had mastered the Flowing Void Steps and Choyeon Simgyeol.
The three martial arts, which possessed mutually complementary characteristics, fit together perfectly without the slightest discrepancy. Hence, he could instinctively know which direction he ought to advance toward.
When Baek Ho-yang brandished his sword first, Woo Geom-san followed and brandished his.
A gentle wind blew in, wrapping around the two of them simultaneously.
The grandfather and grandson, enveloped by the wind, continued to brandish their branches for a long time afterward.
The sweat and heat shed by Woo Geom-san were melting away the winter of Cheonbaeksan.

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