The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 5

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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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5
Woo Geom-san’s Conquest
Even before the sun could rise, Woo Geom-san’s eyes snapped open on their own.
Looking to his side, he saw his master, Baek Ho-yang, sitting cross-legged in the midst of energy circulation.
Woo Geom-san did not know when Baek Ho-yang slept or when he woke up.
He was awake before the boy fell asleep, and whenever the boy woke up and looked around, the master was always circulating his energy.
It reached a point where he suspected his master might not sleep at all.
Watching Baek Ho-yang circulate his energy made Woo Geom-san want to do the same.
Woo Geom-san had been training in his family martial arts since he was six years old.
The martial arts of the Woo Family Manor were fast and fiercely powerful.
In particular, the secret heritage martial art, the Lingguang Twelve Forms, was a martial art so swift it could seemingly slice through light itself.
If fully mastered, it was a magnificent martial art that would leave one with few rivals under heaven, but learning it was by no means easy.
The Lingguang Twelve Forms was an art so profoundly complex that one could not even begin its basic study without an exceptional backing of innate talent.
Woo Geom-san’s talent was by no means poor.
Even when he was at the Woo Family Manor, he was called a prodigy. However, he was not the kind of genius that would shake the world.
There was a vast gap between him and a true genius who could hear one and know ten, or hear one and know a hundred.
He was at the level where if you taught him one thing, he understood that one thing.
Of course, that alone was remarkable, but it was not enough to inherit the Lingguang Twelve Forms, the secret sword art of the Woo Family Manor.
According to the family rules, only the first half of the Lingguang Twelve Forms was disclosed to the direct lineage, while the second half could only be learned by the family head.
Therefore, he had long since abandoned his lingering attachments to the Lingguang Twelve Forms and focused on fist techniques instead.
It was driven by a burst of stubborn pride.
Since he could not learn the finest sword art of the Woo Family Manor, he would master fist techniques to surpass it.
Woo Geom-san engaged in truly bitter training, pushing himself terribly hard.
He trained until the skin of his fists peeled off dozens of times, and the calluses hardened on the backs of his hands became like heavy iron nails.
Although they were not exceptionally sublime fist techniques like the Hundred-Step Divine Art of the Shaolin Temple or the Taiji Quan of the Wudang Sect, he built up his strength by mastering fist laws that were quite famous in the mundane world.
Thanks to this, he was able to gain quite a reputation as a young fist fighter in the region where the Woo Family Manor was located. That was why he had been able to step forward when Yun Tae-ho approached his young sister to bring up an arranged political marriage.
Yun Tae-ho was a wretched excuse for a human being.
Both as a martial artist and as a man.
Thanks to that, it had been a very easy victory.
And because of that, the boy had become arrogant.
When water bandits raided the boat he was riding, he felt confident enough to handle them, so instead of fleeing, he stood his ground and fought back.
Ordinary water bandits were no match for him.
The problem was the leader who commanded the water bandits.
Though his face was hidden behind a mask, his eyes were chillingly cold, and a blade-sharp, piercing intent radiated from his sharp gaze.
It was not an aura that a mere water bandit should ever possess.
Woo Geom-san suffered a catastrophic defeat at his hands.
With his fists broken and his dantian destroyed, he was cast away into the river.
If Baek Ho-yang had not fortunately been passing by the vicinity, he would have died right then and there.
Woo Geom-san gently caressed the area near his heart.
He could feel a sword wound whose scab had not yet fallen off.
If the blade had pierced even an inch to the side, it would have penetrated his heart, killing him instantly.
‘This wound is the price of my arrogance. In the future, I must never overrate myself and act rashly ever again.’
Making that firm resolve, Woo Geom-san sat cross-legged.
He was going to attempt energy circulation once more.
Closing his eyes, he began to circulate the Piaoyin Mind Method, one of his family’s mental laws.
Concentrating his mind, he drew in the external Qi through his breathing and guided it toward his dantian.
Ordinarily, the external Qi should have accumulated in his dantian, but instead, it scattered away like mist and vanished without a trace.
Woo Geom-san tried Qi accumulation once more. However, this time as well, the external Qi merely brushed past his dantian like a gentle breeze.
“Hah…”
A sigh escaped him entirely on its own.
It was just as he thought.
His broken, imperfect dantian could not hold onto the external Qi he had painstakingly drawn inside.
Like a water jar with a broken bottom, the external Qi simply leaked right out.
In this state, he could absolutely never utilize internal strength.
Every martial art in the Jianghu is unleashed based on a foundation of internal strength.
External strength unsupported by internal strength is nothing more than a superficial, empty-shelled flailing of the limbs.
Woo Geom-san looked over at Baek Ho-yang.
‘What did Grandfather see in me that made him decide to accept me as a disciple? He couldn’t possibly be unaware that my dantian is broken.’
The person who had personally treated Woo Geom-san’s dantian was Baek Ho-yang.
There was no way a man like him could be ignorant of Woo Geom-san’s current physical condition.
It was at that exact moment.
“The sound of your mind’s wheels spinning is so loud that I cannot circulate my own energy.”
Baek Ho-yang opened his eyes and looked at Woo Geom-san.
“I am… sorry.”
“Did you attempt energy circulation again?”
“Yes!”
“Never circulate your energy alone from now on. The more you do, the more frustrated you will become. It is strictly forbidden until I give you permission. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
Woo Geom-san replied that he would do as told without any further complaints.
Standing up, Baek Ho-yang spoke.
“Now that your body seems to have recovered to some extent, let us leave this place.”
“Are we going?”
“We cannot stay here forever, can we? Can you walk?”
“I can walk.”
“Then do not push yourself, and follow along slowly.”
“Yes!”
With his response, Woo Geom-san pushed himself up.
Because he had not walked for a long time, his legs felt as stiff as blocks of wood.
Just standing up made his legs tremble violently.
Fortunately, they had not sustained deep wounds like his hands, so he was able to find his balance fairly quickly.
“Whew!”
Taking a deep breath, Woo Geom-san began to take cautious steps forward.
Since his body was not yet whole, he had no choice but to be extremely careful with every step.
Because he had suffered wounds to his chest and lower abdomen, Woo Geom-san’s upper body naturally hunched forward.
It was an unconscious reaction to protect his injuries.
With his waist bent slightly like that, Woo Geom-san moved his feet.
Baek Ho-yang silently watched the way Woo Geom-san walked.
He kept pace alongside him, observing Woo Geom-san’s form with a watchful eye.
The Guan Di Temple where they had been staying until now was located deep within the mountains.
Naturally, the path was rugged, making it difficult even for a healthy person to navigate. It was bound to be an even greater strain on a sick patient like Woo Geom-san. Even so, Woo Geom-san did not utter a single word of complaint and walked on silently.
Sweat poured down his entire body like rain.
His face flushed crimson, and his breathing quickly grew ragged.
Though he staggered as if he might collapse at any moment, Woo Geom-san did not halt his steps.
After walking for quite a long time, Woo Geom-san tripped over a protruding stone, stumbled, and fell down.
“Whoa!”
Falling flat like a falling log, Woo Geom-san hit the ground, causing a cloud of dust to rise up around his body.
As he lay face down on the ground, tears welled up in Woo Geom-san’s eyes.
Rather than the pain vibrating through his entire body, it was his wretched physical condition—collapsing from a mere stone like this—that truly broke his heart.
Only a short while ago, he possessed an excellent sense of balance and physical stamina akin to a cat.
He wouldn’t tire even after running all day long, and he could easily leap over most obstacles. A boy like that had now fallen because he couldn’t even avoid a single tiny stone.
The injury inflicted upon his dantian had robbed Woo Geom-san of even his superb sense of balance and athletic ability.
Only now did it truly hit home.
The reality that he was miserably ruined.
The fact that he could never return to how he used to be drove him to complete despair.
“Ugh!”
His shoulders heaved.
He tried his best to hold it in, but the tears kept streaming from his eyes.
No matter how maturely he tried to behave, his age was only fifteen.
It was too grand an ordeal for a fifteen-year-old boy to bear alone.
Baek Ho-yang thought it was only natural for Woo Geom-san to cry.
The tribulation Woo Geom-san had experienced was not something a young boy could easily overcome. Therefore, it would have been far more dangerous if he had bottled up his emotions.
Only a person who had hit rock bottom could kick off the ground and rise again.
In the same vein, only someone who had completely emptied out their lowest emotions could renew their mindset.
Baek Ho-yang did not say anything to him, allowing Woo Geom-san to cry his heart out.
Forgetting even the fact that Baek Ho-yang was right beside him, Woo Geom-san wept with genuine sorrow.
He had no idea how long he spent crying like that.
Only when his tears dried up and could flow no longer did Woo Geom-san finally stop weeping.
“Agh…”
His voice had gone completely hoarse from how violently he had cried.
Only then did Baek Ho-yang offer words of comfort to Woo Geom-san.
“Do you feel a bit lighter now?”
“……Yes.”
“You did well to cry. You must cry when you have the chance; if you miss the opportunity, the sorrow will only turn into a hardened knot in your chest.”
“I am sorry. I showed you a pathetic sight.”
Woo Geom-san’s face flushed red.
He felt deeply embarrassed that he, a young man who aspired to be a true gentleman, had shown such a defenseless display of loud sobbing.
With a warm smile, Baek Ho-yang patted Woo Geom-san on the shoulder.
“It is not pathetic at all. Is there a law stating that men are forbidden from crying? Crying is by no means something to be ashamed of.”
“Even so…”
“Everything you built up until now has come crashing down, has it not? Your muscular strength, your martial cultivation force, and your physical senses have all vanished, so it is only natural for tears to flow.”
Tears threatened to well up again at Baek Ho-yang’s comforting words.
Woo Geom-san bit his lip firmly, doing his utmost to hold back the fresh tears.
Baek Ho-yang put his arms around Woo Geom-san and helped him up.
“We can simply start over. You can learn how to walk right from the very beginning. Let us start from square one, learning how to walk properly and how to breathe properly.”
“Is there a special way to walk properly and breathe properly?”
“Our Taoist Sects originally pursue immortal longevity. We research ways to live a healthy and long life. Walking properly and breathing properly helps one live a long time. If you do that, you will be able to see much more of the beautiful scenery you mentioned before. How about it? Are you a bit interested?”
“Very much so.”
“Then that is enough. Let us learn them one by one, starting from now.”
“Yes!”
Woo Geom-san nodded his head firmly.
He felt that Baek Ho-yang would not have accepted a crippled person like himself as a disciple for no reason at all.
Although he did not know the full extent of Baek Ho-yang’s true abilities, the mere fact that the old man had forcibly dragged him back when he had practically crossed the River of the Dead proved he was absolutely no ordinary being.
Right now, what he needed to do was place his absolute trust in Baek Ho-yang and follow him.
Baek Ho-yang spoke.
“From now on, follow me as I walk.”
“Do I just need to walk behind you?”
“Yes! You must carefully observe how I walk and how I step upon the earth, and then imitate it.”
“Understood.”
“You will not comprehend it right now. But if you keep imitating it, you will naturally come to understand it one day.”
“I understand.”
Leaving Woo Geom-san behind him, Baek Ho-yang stepped forward.
Baek Ho-yang moved his feet while keeping his back perfectly straight.
He walked as comfortably as a man out for a casual stroll, yet the distance between him and Woo Geom-san widened in a flash.
Baek Ho-yang’s stride was distinctly different from that of ordinary people.
However, the boy could not explain exactly what was different or how it worked.
He merely received a vague impression that it was different.
Baek Ho-yang came to a halt and waited for Woo Geom-san to walk.
‘Let’s just try it for now.’
Even though he hadn’t figured anything out, Woo Geom-san blindly started walking.
Far from mimicking Baek Ho-yang’s stride, he couldn’t even manage a few steps before falling flat on his face once more.
He had fallen down in a disgraceful manner, but he did not weep sorrowfully like he had done earlier.
Woo Geom-san brushed off the dust, stood up, and began to walk again.
Because he was forcing himself to copy Baek Ho-yang’s walk, his gait became highly bizarre.
The way he waddled along made him look exactly like a toddler taking his very first steps.
In reality, Woo Geom-san was no different from a newly walking child.
His lacking leg strength, his deteriorated sense of balance, and the wounds that throbbed with every single step.
Everything was in the absolute worst condition possible.
Among all those factors, the worst part was that he could not tell whether he was walking correctly or not.
“Pant! Pant!”
By the time he barely managed to arrive at the spot where Baek Ho-yang stood, his breath had already rushed all the way up to the tip of his throat.
Baek Ho-yang praised the exhausted Woo Geom-san.
“Well done.”
“…….”
He had no idea what he had done well, but Woo Geom-san nodded his head unconsciously.
Baek Ho-yang began to walk forward once again.
Woo Geom-san stared intently with wide-open eyes, but this time too, he failed to uncover the secret hidden within Baek Ho-yang’s steps.
Even so, without showing a single hint of displeasure, he tried his absolute best to match the sensation of Baek Ho-yang’s walk.
The boy followed behind the old man, falling down and standing back up over and over again.

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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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