Chapter 338: The Call (2)
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
Come to think of it, when did Cheong-hwa become one of the Eight Exalts? In my past life he was the Boundless Sword Exalt, but he was still the Boundless Divine Sword right now.
A martial artist’s prime was roughly around the ages of forty and fifty. A body honed through relentless training did not fall behind even a young man of twenty, and it was a moment where the enlightenments accumulated throughout life harmonized together.
Right now, Master was just around fifty years of age, having reached the prime of his years. Even if he was not yet among the Eight Exalts, wouldn’t his skill be more than enough to enter the Eight Exalts?
“Must we really do this?”
“My disciple has a long tongue. When there was something to learn, you lunged forward happily, but now that you’ve learned everything, is this how you act?”
“What a disheartening thing to say.”
I spoke casually, but felt slightly pricked in conscience.
To be precise, I was somewhat reluctant out of fear that I might defeat Cheong-hwa.
It had been roughly five years or so since I began studying martial arts under Cheong-hwa. But if I won, what would become of Cheong-hwa? However, knowing that Cheong-hwa would surely be infuriated if I voiced this aloud, I kept my mouth shut.
“You were plotting to deceive your master and betray your ancestors in your head again, weren’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“Do you think I do not know you?”
Cheong-hwa held up the Ancient Pine-Pattern Sword. Come to think of it, the moment Cheong-hwa had previously unleashed the Taiji Wisdom Sword, I had nearly suffered martial deviation.
At that time, I barely managed to regulate my internal energy and escape, but there was no telling what would happen if I experienced the Taiji Wisdom Sword again.
However, he would not use the Taiji Wisdom Sword in an immediate spar. Master also knew that I possessed demonic qi, Myeong-gyeong and Namgung Hwi were present, and we were not fighting to the death.
……So I thought.
“Wait, Master?”
However, Cheong-hwa placed his sword before his heart and closed his eyes. It was the starting stance of the Taiji Wisdom Sword. Wavelengths of yin and yang radiated outward centered on the sword.
“That is a bit dangerous for me.”
“I am not playing around. Disciple.”
Energy radiated intensely with Cheong-hwa at the center. The Taiji Wisdom Sword soon brought the imbalanced yet beautiful nature into perfect equilibrium.
Truly, the Taiji Wisdom Sword formed a ‘perfect space.’ Once again, it turned into a space for just the two of us, as if severed from the outside world.
I immediately tried to hold back and regulate the internal energy within me as much as possible. Because if struck by the internal energy of the Taiji Wisdom Sword, it might go berserk.
Yet astonishingly, my internal energy reacted to the internal energy of the Taiji Wisdom Sword and blended with it instead. It was a situation completely opposite to the adverse reaction that had occurred before.
How did I escape the crisis of martial deviation back then? At the time, it was so urgent that my memory was hazy, but recalling carefully, I remembered barely managing to regulate it while accepting the energy spread by the Taiji Wisdom Sword.
If so, it meant my internal energy had accepted the incomparably pure energy of the Taiji Wisdom Sword and transformed.
Come to think of it, I had never properly circulated qi through my meridians since then. When unleashing internal energy, I was too busy fighting to have any leeway to feel what the nature of my internal energy was like.
Could it be that Master unleashed the Taiji Wisdom Sword aiming for this? I looked at Master with respectful eyes, but seeing Master wear quite an astonished expression as well, it seemed it had not been his intention.
“……Did you perhaps unleash it knowing I would fall into martial deviation like before?”
“Of course not. I saw you absorb the spiritual qi too. Even so, I hadn’t expected you to harmonize it this quickly.”
“Then why did you unleash it?”
“What do you mean why? Is it wrong to unleash my highest technique during a spar?”
Cheong-hwa lowered his sword. A natural stance as if all tension had been released from his entire body. Was that the preparatory stance of the Taiji Wisdom Sword? It suited him remarkably well.
The Taiji Wisdom Sword was the Wudang Sect’s supreme sword art. Come to think of it, the Taiji Wisdom Sword was a sword art, yet I had never even seen the blade of the Taiji Wisdom Sword. Because in the domain of the Taiji Wisdom Sword, I had nearly suffered martial deviation. That meant this was my first time truly experiencing the Taiji Wisdom Sword.
We remained still, looking at each other. I was in a natural stance as well. But that was a time of mutual probing.
The reason I could not move rashly was ultimately that I could find no opening. Just when I wondered if Cheong-hwa was the same, Cheong-hwa opened his mouth.
“Come at me first. Surely you don’t intend to commit the impiety of conceding the first move to your master.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, this was a sparring session with my master. In orthodox spars, there was the virtue of yielding the first strike to the inferior party, but there was no way I could concede the initiative to Master.
“Then here I come.”
I slowly drew up my energy. This time, I drew it up slowly while feeling the energy.
Since Cheong-hwa had no intention of striking first anyway, it meant I could move as slowly as possible until making the first move.
Certainly, what I felt as internal energy was released from my dantian across my entire body was that my internal energy had softened a great deal.
Was that why the Cloud and Rainbow Sword Art, blended with softness, had emerged? Thinking about it, all martial arts were connected to my life, yet of late I felt I had not looked back enough. To know oneself, one must not merely run forward looking ahead. Only by looking back can one truly see oneself.
Cheong-hwa remained still waiting for me, his hands hanging loosely in a natural stance.
Slowly raising my sword, I traced the trajectory of the initial stance. Cheong-hwa’s eyes narrowed.
“A sword art I have never seen before.”
“I tried making it.”
“My disciple truly has a knack for uttering world-astonishing words in such a nonchalant manner.”
Cheong-hwa smiled. In that smile lay pride, but also a hint of bitterness.
“Even I have never created a martial art independently on my own.”
“……Here I come.”
Not knowing what to say in reply, I unleashed the Cloud and Rainbow Steps and approached Cheong-hwa. Cheong-hwa’s already narrow eyes narrowed even further.
“You have mastered a new footwork as well. Traces of the Flowing Cloud Steps remain.”
“Rather than having mastered it, I simply use footwork suited to the situation.”
“There is no need to make excuses to me.”
Cheong-hwa flashed a grin. I immediately unleashed a form of the Cloud and Rainbow Sword Art.
Cloud and Rainbow Covets the Peak. It carried the meaning of clouds and rainbows craving the mountain peak. Superficially, it looked like simply striking the blade downward from above, but the immense force contained in that form would be as heavy as clouds and rainbows descending.
“Ho-oh.”
Cheong-hwa looked upward. The true worth of this form could be known only by the person directly facing it. Despite the tremendous force imbued in my blade, Cheong-hwa’s expression did not change in the slightest.
Slowly, Cheong-hwa raised his sword. While my strike was not a rapid quick-sword either, his sword moved so slowly that one wondered if it could possibly match my speed.
The edge of Bright Elegance and the edge of Cheong-hwa’s Ancient Pine-Pattern Sword made contact. At that moment, my eyes snapped wide open.
The abundant force I had concentrated in my sword was completely broken by Cheong-hwa’s limply trailing blade. The moment it touched Cheong-hwa’s blade, all the internal energy imbued in my sword naturally disintegrated. Astonished, I stepped backward.
I swung my sword again. When touching Cheong-hwa’s blade, it had felt as though all strength had completely drained away, but now it returned.
Seeing Cheong-hwa smile faintly, it was clear that the Taiji Wisdom Sword had drained my power.
“What a mysterious art.”
“You still have two forms left. Attack to your heart’s content.”
Slowly, I reorganized my stance once more.
Honestly, it was true that I had harbored the arrogant thought that I might even defeat Cheong-hwa until now. Because I had clashed quite a bit with people around the elder level of the Nine Great Sects.
Hadn’t I just recently crossed swords with two elders of the Mount Hua Sect? They were even older than Cheong-hwa.
However, Cheong-hwa was distinctly different from ordinary elders of the Nine Great Sects. He was not called the Wudang Sect’s greatest fighting strength after the Sect Leader for nothing.
Leaping upward once more, I executed Cloud and Rainbow Covets the Peak.
“Using the same form is a regrettable choice.”
Cheong-hwa similarly brought his sword forward slowly. But that was precisely what I was aiming for. While airborne, I tried to leap over Cheong-hwa’s head and slash his back.
“Indeed. There is no way my disciple would be that foolish.”
Before I knew it, Cheong-hwa had turned around and blocked my sword. The internal energy and force imbued in my sword were still completely neutralized.
“However, leaping over your master’s head—isn’t that far too discourteous? Confucius said one should not even step on a teacher’s shadow carelessly.”
“Aren’t we Daoists, not Confucians?”
“Always having a witty retort for everything.”
The moment our blades touched, I immediately pulled my sword back to minimize the loss of force. And swiftly channeling power back into it, I thrust my sword forward. It was the move Dragon Emerges from the Clouds, crafted into the Cloud and Rainbow Sword Art.
To Cheong-hwa’s eyes, it would appear as though I were thrusting at his chest, but the real strike aimed below his waist. It was a move that used sword speed to leave an afterimage into a feint, using the form of that feint to shroud the real strike.
“A clever form.”
However, that did not work on Cheong-hwa either. As if having anticipated long ago that the real strike was below the waist, Cheong-hwa immediately lowered his body and set his sword to block mine.
Of course, not expecting this to work completely either, I prepared the next form at once.
“Disciple. The three forms are finished.”
Cheong-hwa said. My eyes snapped wide open. Come to think of it, I had been under the illusion that I held the offensive initiative. Now that three forms were finished, Cheong-hwa could attack as well.
However, contrary to his words, Cheong-hwa did not attack. I continued to attack, and Cheong-hwa continued to block me with a leisurely sword art.
A sword that seemed to depict the profound principle of striking after the opponent moves to gain mastery. The Taiji Wisdom Sword was gradually wearing me down.
The principle of the Taiji Wisdom Sword was remarkably simple. Receive, divert, and return. The reason strength drained away was that the Taiji Wisdom Sword completely absorbed the power contained in my martial art.
And after diverting half of it, it returned the rest. Thus, the harder I attacked, the greater the impact returning to me. A defense that flowed endlessly like water.
It was truly a relentless sword. Was this Wudang’s ultimate sword? It was certainly worthy of the Wudang Sect.
“So this is the Taiji Wisdom Sword.”
I spoke in admiration. What on earth was this sword? Though I was a disciple of Wudang as well, I could not even fathom how deep its principles lay.
It seemed to possess high-level profundity incomparable to the Cloud and Rainbow Sword Art I had created.
While a martial artist’s own enlightenment mattered, the elevated level of a martial art certainly influenced a martial artist’s strength as well.
“It is a magnificent martial art. The greatest among all the martial arts I have seen.”
“Of course. What did you take the Wudang Sect’s supreme secret art for?”
Cheong-hwa smiled gratifyingly.
However, I had no intention of ending things with mere astonishment at Cheong-hwa’s martial arts. I too was a person who had learned the profound principles of Wudang.
If so, there was no way the principles contained in the Taiji Wisdom Sword were unfamiliar to me. Just what must one do to produce effects like the Taiji Wisdom Sword?
“By the way, is there no attack in the Taiji Wisdom Sword?”
Landing away, I caught my breath. While I was moving busily on my own, Cheong-hwa had not moved a single step. As expected, Master was Master.
“Even if you swing a sword in the exact same trajectory, one is an attack, and another is a defense. Attack and defense depend on your mind, not on the sword.”
I was startled. Thinking that way, Fullness in the Primordial Boundless Sword Art, which I had considered a defensive form, could become an attack, and what I had considered an offensive form could become a defense.
It was merely that foolish as I was, I had been trapped within concepts of attack and defense.
Certainly, the enlightenment gained as a merchant and the enlightenment gained as a martial artist were different. Was this not a kind of enlightenment that no matter how long one lived as a merchant, one could never obtain?
While I had enlightenment as a human being, I did not yet possess the enlightenment that only a martial artist could attain.
And that excited me. I had seen the path I needed to walk.
Halting my stance, I offered a deep bow.
“Thank you for bestowing teachings upon your foolish disciple.”
“You realized it all on your own, so why are you giving credit to me?”
“Had it not been for Master’s topic of inquiry, I might never have known for the rest of my life.”
“Making such a fuss.”
Though grumbling like that, Cheong-hwa seemed proud. I gripped my sword hilt firmly once more.
“Now that I have gained enlightenment, showing a different aspect would be the true duty of a disciple, wouldn’t it?”
“Ho-oh. Can you apply it right away? Realizing it with your head and executing it with your hands are rather different matters.”
“Do I not possess talent, after all?”
Cheong-hwa laughed heartily.
“Right, with talent of your level, it’s better to be brazen like that.”
Though it was not purely my own talent, but talent received from the Martial Talent Shop.
Honing this talent was entirely my responsibility.
Descending, I unleashed the form Clouds Scatter Beneath the Moon. Rather than projecting internal energy outward, I swung the blade while executing the Adhesion Art as if defending.
At that, Cheong-hwa, who had not moved until now, took a step backward.
Having forced Cheong-hwa to step back, I looked at Master. Master made startled rabbit eyes for an instant, which soon softened into eyes curved in a gentle arc. Beneath them hung a gentle smile.