Wudang Sacred Scriptures

Since the actual martial matches wouldn’t begin until the afternoon, most were idly scanning the surroundings, which is how they immediately recognized Daoist Hyehae, seated at the farthest end.

“Daoist Hyehae, has the Palace Lord of the Three Spirits Palace come to observe today?”

It was a purely formal inquiry.

“She has not.”

“Then what brings you here?”

“One of our palace’s disciples is participating in the martial contest, so I have come in the Palace Lord’s stead to observe.”

“A disciple from the Three Spirits Palace is participating in the martial contest?”

“Ha, to think the Lineage of Daoist Transmission would take on a martial disciple? How unusual.”

As the palace lords murmured among themselves, Ujin Palace Lord Yunhyeon Jin furrowed his brow slightly and spoke.

“I did hear something about Three Spirits Palace sending a disciple to True Martial Hall for training.”

Unlike the other palace lords, the Ujin Palace Lord had already caught wind of this, as it involved a child from Yeongmudang, where his own disciple Hyeonmun was currently stationed.

Especially since his grand-disciple, Seok Jangsan, had persistently pestered him about Kwak Yeon, he couldn’t help but take an interest.

Though that curiosity had somewhat waned upon hearing that Kwak Yeon had become a disciple of the Three Spirits Palace.

Great Elder Yunhak Jin, who had quietly listened to the exchange, spoke as if to settle the discussion.

“There is no rule that forbids those of the Daoist Lineage from learning martial arts, so there is nothing strange about it.”

Daoist Hyehae also addressed the palace lords.

“The disciple does not harmonize well with the Way of Dao, and so the Palace Lord granted him permission to walk the path of martial cultivation.”

“To think the Three Spirits Palace had such a disciple. Who is it?”

“He is my disciple.”

At Hyehae’s reply, the Naman Palace Lord, who oversaw the Wudang Sect’s outer gate at Haegeomji, tilted her head.

“If he’s your disciple, doesn’t that make him Daoist Hyeonin’s student? Has he already returned from his training journey? We’ve received no such report.”

“As the Naman Palace Lord says, my disciple Hyeonin has not yet returned.”

“Then?”

“My master took in a disciple and bestowed upon him the Daoist name Hyeonmu.”

“Hyeonmu?”

“It seems it is now Hyeonmu’s turn.”

At Daoist Hyehae’s words, all the palace lords turned their eyes toward the martial stage in unison.

“Wait, isn’t that the child from Yeongmudang?”

Kwak Yeon had left quite a deep impression—he had stirred up a commotion during the Mid-Autumn Champion Selection Tournament, and even received a grand (if not overly dramatic) send-off from his fellow disciples during his dismissal from Yeongmudang.

“Wasn’t that the boy who failed to condense Spiritual Energy and was sent off to the Three Spirits Palace...?”

Daoist Hyehae answered.

“That is correct. Hyeonmu’s secular name is Kwak Yeon. Fortunately, within our palace he was able to condense Spiritual Energy, and so he has continued his study of martial arts.”

By then, Kwak Yeon had stepped into the center of the martial arena.

The first match of the Cheongmu Competition always began with the disciples of the lowest skill.

Which meant Kwak Yeon was considered the weakest among even the first-year disciples.

‘Well, that’s to be expected.’

The palace lords, who had been watching without much interest, flinched.

They had recognized the disciple stepping up as his opponent.

“Isn’t that Cheongun from the Registration Hall?”

“It certainly is.”

The Palace Lord of Oryong Palace turned to ask Daoist Hyeonho, who was overseeing the Cheongmu Competition.

“Daoist Hyeonho, why is the top disciple of the Divine Dragon Class taking part in the very first match?”

Daoist Hyeonho responded as if he’d been waiting for the question.

“Cheongun, as the top of the Divine Dragon Class, had already advanced by default. But as a spot happened to open up in this match, he has stepped in to fill it. Please consider this a guided match.”

If [N O V E L I G H T] it was simply a matter of offering instruction, there was no real reason to object.

Once again, Great Elder Yunhak Jin brought order to the gathering.

“The sun sets early. Daoist Hyeonho, proceed swiftly with the martial match.”

“Understood.”

Daoist Hyeonho turned to Kwak Yeon and Cheongun.

“Both disciples, perform the sword salute and begin the match.”

Cheongun raised his wooden sword in both hands and bowed respectfully toward Kwak Yeon.

“Senior Hyeonmu, I ask for your instruction.”

Kwak Yeon sensed that Cheongun’s unusually polite and formal tone carried some hidden intent.

It had shifted unexpectedly from the match ticket he had received from Guide Cheongjin, but he had anticipated something like this, and so he accepted it without concern, returning the sword salute.

“I am the one who hopes to receive guidance from you, Disciple Cheongun.”

Lifting his head, Kwak Yeon caught sight of Cheongjin, standing below the stage with a pale face, lips barely moving.

—Don’t overdo it. Step back.

But Kwak Yeon had no intention of doing so.

This was his very first martial match.

It was his chance to test whether all his training had borne fruit.

With a resolute expression, Kwak Yeon twisted the wooden sword behind his back and extended his left hand forward.

The Immortal’s Finger Path!

The initiating form of the Tai Chi Sword Forms.

He felt Internal Energy Pressure surge from his Dantian like a storm.

A wave of confidence swelled within him—nothing could block his path.

How long he had dreamed of this moment.

The moment he could wield martial arts by channeling his Internal Energy Pressure.

Ujin Palace Lord Yunhyeon Jin doubted his own eyes.

For some reason, the moment he saw Kwak Yeon perform the Immortal’s Finger Path, a chill ran down his spine.

It wasn’t due to the aura, nor because the stance was perfect.

‘Why...?’

Perplexed, the Ujin Palace Lord glanced at the other palace lords.

Seeing their stiff expressions, he knew he hadn’t been mistaken.

Especially when he saw Great Elder Yunhak Jin’s face had gone pale—then he was certain.

He was the greatest martial master after the Seven Sword Guardians.

He would have seen it more clearly than the rest of them.

‘What on earth...?’

Kwak Yeon had just entered True Martial Hall as a novice. There was no way he could release Qi waves.

Ujin Palace Lord Yunhyeon Jin held his breath, staring intently at Kwak Yeon.

Kwak Yeon was executing the technique Return of the Coiling Dragon to the Heavens in response to Cheongun’s Blue Sky Sword Sea – First Form.

‘A breath too late.’

But at the very moment Cheongun’s first strike of the Blue Sky Sword Sea was engulfed by the shadow of Kwak Yeon’s delayed swing, the ferocity behind the attack vanished like mist.

In that instant, the Ujin Palace Lord thought of Later Action Overcomes the First.

In Wudang, the principle of Later Action wasn’t just about countering with delayed movements.

It meant to guard oneself thoroughly first.

By doing so, one could perceive the opponent’s intent and weaknesses—thus embodying the Daoist ideal of compassion, favoring suppression over slaughter.

In any case, upon seeing Kwak Yeon’s sword movement, the Ujin Palace Lord finally grasped the source of the strange sensation.

‘True Gong, born from the harmony of internal energy and form!’

Ujin Palace Lord Yunhyeon Jin could hardly believe it.

True Gong meant the flawless application of internal energy according to the heart-intent of a martial technique’s secret verse—in other words, it required perfect understanding of the inner meridians and mastery over the flow of Internal Energy Pressure.

Normally, one could only achieve True Gong after devoting more than ten years solely to cultivation.

And even then, one had to listen to a legitimate master’s interpretation of the secret verses, thoroughly comprehend how to circulate energy for each meridian, and then attain mastery after years of intense practice.

The fact that Kwak Yeon was displaying True Gong with the Tai Chi Sword Forms was nothing short of miraculous—or rather, unnatural.

Ujin Palace Lord Yunhyeon Jin felt as though he had been struck in the back of the head with an iron hammer.

“Master, that child may not yet have condensed Spiritual Energy, but he is a worthy candidate to become a true treasure of Wudang.”

So Hyeonmun’s bold claim was true!

In terms of the Tai Chi Sword Forms alone, Kwak Yeon had reached a level of True Gong equivalent to that of a Pinnacle Master.

It was only that his Internal Energy Pressure was still far too weak, he had no real sparring experience, and his execution was unrefined—hence why he appeared slow and clumsy.

But once he initiated a form, it became perfect True Gong.

Only when one could precisely harmonize each movement with the corresponding internal meridian could one be said to have fully grasped the essence of that martial art.

Such True Gong could only be felt by masters at the peak of cultivation.

Ordinary masters could only perceive sword energy, Qi waves, or the power of a technique.

To even recognize True Gong meant that one had reached the Pinnacle Realm.

―Whoosh! Whish!

On the martial platform, Cheongun was overwhelmingly pressing Kwak Yeon back.

Each time, exclamations of admiration burst forth from the large sparring arena below.

The variations in Cheongun’s sword techniques were truly boundless.

Not only Tai Chi Sword Forms, but also forms from the Small Azure Sword and Flowing Cloud Sword were unleashed in succession.

The linked movements were so fluid that it was easy to praise him as truly the top of the Divine Dragon Class.

However, to Ujin Palace Lord Yunhyeon Jin’s eyes, it all looked like nothing more than a flashy sword dance.

He was completely absorbed by Kwak Yeon’s movements, each and every one of which embodied True Gong.

Of course, the outcome of the match was still clear.

Cheongun had mastered far more sword techniques and his execution was unquestionably superior.

The issue was that he couldn’t break through the defense Kwak Yeon had wrapped in True Gong all at once.

To Cheongun, it must have felt like he was laying siege to a fortress.

One that looked like it might fall at any moment, and yet somehow continued to hold out.

In truth, attacking a fortress was always ten times harder than defending one.

Still, the Ujin Palace Lord did not doubt Cheongun’s victory.

He had seen occasional heat ripples flicker along the tip of Cheongun’s wooden sword.

It meant he was imbuing Internal Energy Pressure into it.

Cheongun had accumulated enough Internal Energy Pressure to reach the state of Manifest Qi—the visible emergence of sword energy—within just a few years.

He had been nurtured with great care by the Registration Hall, taking all kinds of medicinal tonics and undergoing energy-infused bathing rituals.

So it was only natural.

Ujin Palace Lord watched as Cheongun pointed the tip of his wooden sword toward the sky and spun it in a circle.

‘This is it.’

He recognized the technique Cheongun was preparing to unleash.

There was a reason Cheongun had driven Kwak Yeon to the far edge of the arena like a raging storm from every direction.

It wasn’t to destroy the fortress, but to force surrender.

Since this wasn’t a battle of life and death, it was a clever tactic.

Though for the one on the receiving end, it would be deeply humiliating.

Kwak Yeon was barely holding off Cheongun’s sword attacks, but he felt not the slightest sense of unease.

He was filled with the confidence that he could block any attack.

The only martial art he had fully mastered was the Tai Chi Sword Forms—just sixty-four forms in total—but that alone was more than enough.

He had learned a wide array of internal meridian theories from the Daoist of Cheongmu Hall, and applied the proper meridian technique to each form, so even when he encountered advanced techniques, he was not overwhelmed.

And since he wasn’t concerned with winning or losing to begin with, he felt no agitation.

Thus, he fell into the trance of the match.

Unlike when training alone, he felt truly exhilarated.

After all, the essence of martial arts was to test one’s harmony with an opponent—sparring was the best way to learn, and also to measure the effectiveness of one’s training.

Through the duel, Kwak Yeon confirmed meanings of the sword forms he hadn’t fully grasped during solo practice, and identified what he was lacking.

Each time he performed a form, he confirmed that Internal Energy Pressure flowed precisely as he intended.

This meant his posture was opening the path of meridians completely.

It was because he hadn’t first memorized the outer shape and motion of the forms, but had envisioned the Celestial Meridian Map, observing the flow of energy inside his body as he learned.

And through this duel, by trimming away the unnecessary, he could fully embody the true essence of the Tai Chi Sword Forms.

To Kwak Yeon, Cheongun’s all-out assault was a stroke of fortune and an opportunity to learn.

Of course, he was well aware that Cheongun’s motives were not pure.

But so what?

Had that not been the case, he would never have gotten the opportunity to duel at all.

―Whoosh! Clack! Clack!

Though he was being pushed back one-sidedly, the duel, which had been progressing fairly evenly, now began to change.