The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 9

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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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9
Woo Geom-san
Keeping his spine perfectly straight, Baek Ho-yang moved with light, effortless strides.
He walked as though taking a leisurely stroll, yet in the blink of an eye, he had surged dozens of yards ahead of Woo Geom-san.
Whenever the distance between them grew too wide, he would halt in his tracks and wait for the boy to catch up.
Recalling the manner of Baek Ho-yang’s gait, Woo Geom-san did his absolute best to mimic it as closely as possible.
Every individual possessed unique walking habits, stride lengths, and methods of distributing weight.
Likewise, Woo Geom-san had a manner of walking that was entirely his own.
Woo Geom-san had trained in fist techniques from a very young age.
The Eight Steps Mountain-Heavy Fist he had mastered was a martial art designed to maximize destructive power, characterized by heavy, plodding footwork. It had to be that way, for only then could its raw, devastating impact be fully realized.
Because the nature of the fist style was so heavy, Woo Geom-san’s natural gait had inevitably been influenced, making his steps weightier.
Consequently, imitating Baek Ho-yang’s ethereal, fleeting movements was no easy task.
He had to completely overhaul a habit that had been deeply ingrained in his body for fifteen years.
Furthermore, because Woo Geom-san’s dantian was damaged, he could not utilize internal strength.
He had to walk relying solely on pure physical capability and sheer willpower.
To make matters worse, his body was far from fully recovered.
One way or another, the burden on Woo Geom-san was bound to be immense.
Even so, he did not utter a single word of complaint and moved his feet in silence.
Though they had been walking for less than half a day, his body was already thoroughly drenched in sweat.
His breath hitched at the very back of his throat, and his legs grew so weak that he tottered, looking as if he might collapse at any given moment.
Yet Woo Geom-san absolutely refused to stop or take a rest.
He would rather slow his pace, but he never once sat down to rest or halted completely, continuing to move forward instead.
Baek Ho-yang highly commended Woo Geom-san’s perseverance.
‘That kind of endurance is not something just anyone can possess.’
A human’s true worth is revealed when they are beset by hardships.
It is precisely when facing the worst possible circumstances that one’s hidden true nature comes to light.
Such was the case with Woo Geom-san’s current predicament.
He could not use internal strength, and his wounds had not completely healed.
An ordinary person would have needed to recuperate and nurse their body for at least another month.
Despite that, Woo Geom-san never complained once, silently following behind Baek Ho-yang without a single pause.
That level of grit was truly a rare quality.
As Woo Geom-san drew closer, Baek Ho-yang spoke.
“Let us rest here for a moment.”
“If it is because of me, you can just keep going. I can keep up.”
“It is not because of you, but because of me. You might be fine since you are young, but I am old, and walking for so long makes my entire body ache.”
“Then, shall we rest a little?”
“Indeed!”
The two sat down beneath a massive tree nearby.
“Phew!”
The moment he sat on the ground, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
His legs felt stiff, and his entire body was languid.
Even so, Woo Geom-san did his utmost not to let his fatigue show.
“Stretch your legs out.”
“Pardon?”
“If you just sit and rest blindly like that, your body won’t recover properly.”
Baek Ho-yang placed Woo Geom-san’s legs upon his own knees and began to massage them.
He was performing the Acupressure Blood Circulation Technique, infusing it with his own internal strength.
“You don’t have to do this…”
“Stay still. Can a grandfather not even do this much for his grandson?”
Baek Ho-yang poured his heart into the Acupressure Blood Circulation Technique.
Though flustered at first, Woo Geom-san quietly accepted Baek Ho-yang’s touch.
Partly because his legs felt thoroughly refreshed, but above all, because he could feel Baek Ho-yang’s genuine sincerity.
One would not be human if they weren’t moved by someone massaging their legs with such devotion, just like a real grandfather.
“Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. My own master did the exact same for me. He would relieve my fatigue by performing the Acupressure Blood Circulation Technique whenever I was exhausted from training. Thanks to him, I was able to successfully complete that grueling training. If you ever take on a disciple of your own someday, mind that you look after them with all your heart as well.”
“Will I ever grow enough to take on a disciple?”
“Never doubt your own potential. You will undoubtedly become a far greater martial artist than I.”
Woo Geom-san’s heart eased slightly at Baek Ho-yang’s certain answer.
“You can stop now. My fatigue has completely vanished.”
“Very well!”
“I will prepare our meal.”
“Only prepare enough for yourself. I do not need to eat.”
“Yes, Master!”
Woo Geom-san nodded.
Having watched him closely from his side all this time, he already knew.
He knew that Baek Ho-yang sustained himself strictly on Biyogu Pills. And that was only once a day, no less.
In his heart, Woo Geom-san wished to follow Baek Ho-yang’s example and survive solely on Biyogu Pills too. However, it was impossible for Woo Geom-san to endure on Biyogu Pills alone.
Having entered his growth spurt, Woo Geom-san was at an age of peak, vigorous activity.
It was an age where he would still feel hungry no matter how much he ate.
To force someone like him to live only on Biyogu Pills would be nothing short of torture.
Knowing that fact, Baek Ho-yang never said a word about Woo Geom-san eating cooked food.
Furthermore, Baek Ho-yang had no intention of raising Woo Geom-san to be a Taoist.
If Woo Geom-san wished to become a Taoist later on, he wouldn’t stop him, but he also had no intention of forcing it upon him.
Woo Geom-san’s future depended entirely on his own choices.
Baek Ho-yang was merely helping Woo Geom-san learn correctly and grow without straying from the right path.
Woo Geom-san quickly built a fire and set a small pot over it. Then, he poured water and the grain powder the villagers had packed for them into the pot.
Mixed into the grain powder were chunks of dried meat.
They had thoughtfully prepared it so that it could be eaten just by adding water and boiling it, without needing any special cooking.
Deeply grateful for the villagers’ kindness, Woo Geom-san waited for the water to boil.
After a short while, as the water boiled, the grain powder turned thick and viscous. It became a mouthwatering porridge.
Although there wasn’t a particularly large amount of meat inside, Woo Geom-san was thoroughly satisfied.
“Thank you for the food.”
“Eat slowly, child.”
“Yes.”
Just as Baek Ho-yang said, Woo Geom-san ate the porridge slowly.
Baek Ho-yang watched Woo Geom-san eat with a pleased, warm expression.
Though he must have had countless questions, Woo Geom-san earned his admiration by enduring silently and following along. He felt truly fortunate to have gained such a grandson.
Woo Geom-san ate the porridge as slowly as possible.
Although it didn’t completely satisfy his hunger, it was still enough to keep him going to some extent.
Swallowing his lingering appetite, Woo Geom-san packed away the pot and the remaining grain powder.
“If you are finished eating, let us depart.”
“Yes, Master!”
Woo Geom-san answered energetically as he stood up.
***
Baek Ho-yang deliberately chose to walk along paths where people were scarce.
There was always a good reason why people were sparse.
The paths were either too narrow or treacherous, making people reluctant to approach them.
Thanks to this, the two could focus entirely on walking without having to worry about the gaze of others.
Traversing rugged terrain was several times more exhausting than walking on flat ground.
“Phew!”
A rough, ragged breath escaped from Woo Geom-san’s mouth of its own accord.
The path was so grueling that even Woo Geom-san, who was extraordinarily patient and resilient, could not help but let out heavy breaths.
Trying to watch Baek Ho-yang with his eyes while mimicking his body movements with his own physical form caused his legs to trip over each other repeatedly. Because of that, he nearly fell several times.
‘I really can’t figure it out. Just what do I have to do to walk like that?’
It had already been five days since they left the village.
During that time, Woo Geom-san felt as though he had fallen over hundreds of times.
His knees were entirely scraped up, and his shins were covered in dark bruises.
It was only because Baek Ho-yang performed the Acupressure Blood Circulation Technique on him that he managed to endure to this extent; without his help, he would have been bedridden for days.
Just then, Baek Ho-yang, who was leading the way, looked back.
“Are you still trying to copy me by only looking with your eyes?”
“Pardon?”
“What did I tell you?”
“To feel it with my body, and accept it exactly as nature intended…”
“Yet what are you doing right now?”
“That is…”
“Exactly! You are constantly looking only at me. Use my movements merely as a reference, and focus on yourself.”
At Baek Ho-yang’s thundering reprimand, Woo Geom-san felt a sudden jolt of clarity wake his senses.
Until now, he had focused entirely on Baek Ho-yang’s movements, while utterly neglecting his own.
‘I must feel it myself.’
Woo Geom-san immediately averted his gaze from Baek Ho-yang. Then, he focused inward on himself.
Naturally, he couldn’t feel anything at first.
Consequently, he fell down several more times. However, he brushed himself off, stood right back up, and concentrated on his own body.
After focusing like that for a long while, he began to feel a strange, ticklish sensation.
It felt almost like an ant crawling right between his eyebrows.
Woo Geom-san concentrated even harder. Soon, the sensation grew a little clearer.
He could faintly sense the obstacles striking the soles of his feet, the grass brushing past his ankles, and the pebbles rolling away as his feet nudged them.
Woo Geom-san moved his feet forward, locking his focus entirely on the sensations felt through his legs.
At first, this sensation felt completely foreign.
He had never once walked in this manner before.
He avoided the protruding rocks and took care not to let the grass touch him.
When stepping on a sudden protrusion, he relaxed his stance, and when stepping into a hollow depression, he applied strength to his legs.
By distributing his weight in that manner, walking became significantly easier.
Only then could Woo Geom-san truly understand Baek Ho-yang’s words.
‘So this is why he told me I had to feel it.’
He hadn’t been granted an internal strength heart method yet, nor had he been taught a specific footwork technique. However, he had realized something far more precious than either.
It was none other than feeling through his own body.
Once he awakened the sensations in his feet, walking became incomparably easier from that moment onward.
Even without deliberately mimicking Baek Ho-yang’s movements, he naturally ended up walking in a similar fashion.
‘So this was how Grandfather was walking all along.’
Of course, there remained a vast, unbridgeable chasm between himself and Baek Ho-yang.
The sensations he felt and the awareness Baek Ho-yang possessed were bound to be on entirely different dimensions. Nevertheless, he felt a surge of joy at the thought that he had caught a tiny glimpse of Baek Ho-yang’s secret.
Following behind Baek Ho-yang was no longer blindly difficult as it had been before.
With a step that had grown slightly lighter, Woo Geom-san followed in Baek Ho-yang’s wake.
Sensing the presence behind his back, a smile graced Baek Ho-yang’s face.
He could tell just by the sound of the footsteps alone.
He knew that Woo Geom-san’s stride had transformed.
‘Not bad.’
It wasn’t just a matter of being “not bad.”
For him to reach this point was exceptionally fast.
However, it was too early to celebrate.
The road ahead was still long.
The martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect were truly vast and boundless.
Its history was deeper and older than that of either the Wudang Sect or the Mount Hua Sect.
Though the number of its techniques might be fewer than those two sects, the sheer depth of its martial arts was far grander.
The martial arts of Quanzhen were such that even a lifetime of meditation and comprehension made it difficult to fully master just one or two of them.
Countless geniuses had challenged the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect, yet the reason they failed to achieve great mastery was precisely because they tried to comprehend it solely with their minds.
To properly enter the gateway of the Quanzhen Sect’s martial arts, one had to feel it first.
While some could feel it with ease, there were others who could never grasp it even after a lifetime of contemplation.
Those who were not born as a Taoist Vessel could not easily sense it.
On the other hand, those born as a natural Taoist Vessel, like Woo Geom-san, attained enlightenment at an early stage.
However, a Taoist Vessel could not possibly be so common.
That was precisely why there were countless Taoists in the world, yet true Taoists were exceedingly rare.
Baek Ho-yang stole a glance over his shoulder.
Though Woo Geom-san was still unrefined, he was gradually walking the correct path step by step.
Once those awkward footsteps achieved full maturity, only then would he finally possess the qualifications to learn the Flowing Void Steps.
The Flowing Void Steps was a footwork technique that contained the ultimate essence of the Quanzhen Sect.
Shunliu and Stepping on the Void.
Only by fully comprehending these two concepts could one hope to complete the Flowing Void Steps.
Woo Geom-san had merely managed to barely step past the threshold of Shunliu among them.
The path he had to walk in the future remained incredibly long.
As these various thoughts crossed his mind, Baek Ho-yang’s pace naturally quickened.
Woo Geom-san had to move even faster to keep up with the accelerating elder.
Had it been just a moment ago, he would have been utterly exhausted before long. Yet right now, Woo Geom-san’s steps were lighter than they had ever been.
As Woo Geom-san walked perfectly aligned with nature, a gentle breeze blew past, softly caressing his body.
It felt as though the anxiety and worries Woo Geom-san had been harboring all this time were being carried away by the wind, flying far, far into the distance.
A faint smile curled upon Woo Geom-san’s lips.
‘Walking the right path is truly a wonderful thing.’

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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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