Chapter 11

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm…”

It was not a widely known martial art.

It was merely a name I had occasionally heard in my childhood when listening to the heroic tales of Immortal Sanfeng that had been passed down like legends.

It was a martial art I only learned existed for the first time.

Come to think of it, I had never heard of Immortal Sanfeng wielding a sword in old stories or heroic tales.

With one fist, he brought the wicked to their knees.

With one palm strike, ten demon heads lost their lives.

With one finger strike, the space between the brows of three Demon Cultists was pierced.

With one kick, he shattered the heads of the barbarians.

They were all dominated by fist and palm strikes without using any weapons.

On the other hand, what was the mainstream martial art of the current Wudang?

It was swordplay.

‘Why swordplay instead of fist and palm techniques?’

I belatedly harbored questions about something I had taken for granted as daily life until now.

And as if seeing through my mind, Grandmaster opened his mouth.

“It is only natural that you do not know it well. I did not pass it down because it is a martial art that places too much strain on the body for young disciples to learn.”

Even with those words, my question was not resolved.

‘Places too much strain on the body?’

It was difficult to understand right away why it would place too much strain on the body, as I did not see any movements that would be straining in Grandmaster’s Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm when viewed through the sensitivity of the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition.

“Therefore, rather than learning this right away, you must learn it step-by-step from the form of the stances together with your master…”

As an unknown rebelliousness rose in my heart, Grandmaster’s words bounced off my eardrums.

In the end, all that remained was my body reacting to the question.

I began to perform the stances of the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm, which I had captured on my corneas and engraved in my mind, with my body.

At first, I slowly practiced the movements.

Then, as if it were a martial art tailored to my body from the very beginning, the intentions of the stances and routines came to me clearly.

Just as stars orbit and rotate along their trajectories, the overlapping waves of true Qi orbited according to the unfolding of the palm stances, and the true Qi force waves overlapping in the center of the palm rotated repeatedly, creating a vortex (whirling flow). As breath was added to breath and the martial power and true Qi force waves grew in size, wind gradually gathered in my hand gestures despite my meager internal energy.

The wind led the routine, and the routine raised the wind.

‘The routine and natural energy undergo perturbation. I must read the flow and not be bound by the stances…’

As the meaning came to me, I naturally operated my martial power and speeded up the unfolding of the stances. Speed was soon converted into force.

However, as the extending force became stronger, the force escaping also became stronger. Before I could emit the palm force for the final strike, the true Qi tried to scatter.

I immediately recalled the cause of the problem.

A force I knew all too well.

It was due to centrifugal force.

‘As a rotating object adds speed, the force trying to escape the orbit also increases.’

And I came up with several ways to solve this.

The most certain among them was…

A force opposite to the centrifugal force that tried to move away from the center.

A force directed toward the center.

To increase the centripetal force.

I disassembled Grandmaster Jin-cheon’s Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm piece by piece through the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition and reassembled it in my head.

And I derived the necessary information.

‘He operated martial power to form an attractive force.’

I even saw through the true identity of the martial power that caused the attractive force. A Yin-cold martial power was felt at the Daling acupoint in the center of the palm.

‘Hot energy rises and cold energy sinks. This is because hot energy is light, and cold energy is heavy.’

It was the opposite principle of how Martial Aunt Hye-won operated her martial power when I entered the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition.

He had controlled the true Qi trying to scatter with the Yin-cold martial power.

Following Grandmaster, I concentrated Yin-cold supporting force in the center of my palm, the Daling acupoint. However, the total amount of Yin-cold supporting force I could utilize made it too difficult to control the overlapping true Qi.

‘The Yin-cold supporting force, which is only a part of my entire martial power, is not enough.’

What Grandmaster had done was only possible because it was him.

I had my own way.

Besides, I had already experienced a similar situation.

‘Just like when I stepped on empty air following master’s Cloud-Climbing Step.’

In the end, what was lacking was the centripetal force—that is, power.

The Yin-cold supporting force was also a means to generate a sort of attractive force.

If my martial power to generate centripetal force was insufficient, I could just mobilize my natural strength.

Simultaneously with my thoughts, I moved my body.

‘I will control the flow of the true Qi force waves trying to scatter using the strength of my arms, and calibrate it with the angle of the palm’s center.’

As my biceps and triceps swelled, the loose hem of my Taoist robe was pulled taut, and I pulled the flow of true Qi trying to escape from above my palm toward the center of my body.

Like an iron ball hanging from a string, the waves of true Qi gathered on my palm overlapped repeatedly, forming a laminar flow and turbulent flow of true Qi.

As the operation of true Qi stabilized, the unfolding of the stances also picked up speed. Martial power rose along with the accelerating stances, and the true Qi force waves overlapped once again.

And at the final moment of the stance’s unfolding.

As the overlapping true Qi force waves along the routine resembling the movement of the stars broke free from the shackles of centripetal force…

Puhwak!

The dirt ground burst apart.

Although it could not compare to the power when Grandmaster performed it, a significant amount of soil was overturned.

‘It worked!’

Simultaneously with the joy of achievement, I realized that the Qihai acupoint in my lower Dantian had become empty.

‘The consumption of martial power is not small.’

This was the case even though I had controlled the true Qi with muscle strength instead of martial power.

—I did not pass it down because it is a martial art that places too much strain on the body for young disciples to learn.

Just like those words of Grandmaster, if young disciples performed it carelessly, their Qi and blood might be twisted. Especially if they controlled the true Qi entirely with martial power like Grandmaster did, the consumption of internal energy would have been even more severe.

Suddenly, I recalled the rudeness of cutting off Grandmaster’s words.

‘Oh dear.’

In the moment I was contemplating what to do.

It was no coincidence that the tactics from my days when I was still an immature scholar in the Butterfly Dream came to mind.

‘Agree with the professor’s words first. Expressing your opinion comes after that.’

As my thoughts and instincts were forged into one, I released a feint from the tip of my tongue…

“Just as you said, Grandmaster, it would certainly place a strain on the body if performed carelessly.”

Since most teachers valued results…

At the moment I was self-evaluating it as a highly excellent tactic, having successfully reproduced the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm and added apologetic words…

A warm hand descended onto my Gate of Life acupoint.

In addition, just as Martial Aunt Hye-won had done to teach me the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition, the martial power entering through the Gate of Life acupoint filled the acupoints of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Primary Meridians.

‘Grandmaster is personally conducting Qi guidance!’

My heart welled up.

The well of the Qihai acupoint, which had been empty, was also filled.

Moreover, the Sword Immortal Grandmaster’s Qi guidance did not stop at simply restoring the depleted internal energy.

An amount of martial power equivalent to digesting two Lesser Cleansing Pills was additionally contained in the well of the Qihai acupoint. Yet, the dangerous occurrences like when I had struggled to digest the Lesser Cleansing Pills did not happen.

It naturally blended in and became one, as if it had been a part of my martial power from the beginning.

In that way, the total amount of my martial power instantly doubled.

It was a miraculous encounter.

The Qi guidance ended.

I was lost for words in deep emotion.

Grandmaster looked at me with eyes whose depths were hard to measure.

It was Grandmaster who broke the temporary silence first.

“…Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm. You have reached the True Formula of Wind.”

I was bewildered for a moment by Grandmaster’s words, but soon my heart began to flutter like a dandelion seed.

Not only did the Sword Immortal, the greatest under heaven, personally conduct Qi guidance for me, but he had also spoken words akin to praise.

Seeing my trembling eyes, Grandmaster calmly advised me, like a master pressing down on a disciple’s shaking shoulders.

“However, you must not forget why the name of the Wind and Thunder Palm is the Wind and Thunder Palm.”

The wind brings the clouds, and the clouds ring the thunderbolt.

My heart, which had been rising like a dandelion seed, faltered and regained its reason.

‘Is he saying it is not the true Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm until I obtain the True Formula of Thunder?’

It was both a warning not to be arrogant just because I had obtained the True Formula of Wind, and words of encouragement to devote myself to progress.

I composed my mind, bowed deeply, and replied.

“I will keep it in mind.”

After looking at me for a moment, Grandmaster turned his body. If a smile seemed to flick on Grandmaster’s lips for a split second, was it an illusion brought about by my excited heart?

“I will always watch over your achievements. You must continue to devote yourself to progress in the future.”

With those words that sounded mixed with a chuckle, Grandmaster began to climb back up the mountain path he had descended.

Clack. Thud. Clack. Thud. Clack. Thud.

Only the sound of the cane leaving a deep, lingering scent like pine fragrance remained, as Immortal Jin-cheon’s figure disappeared beyond the trail.

I bowed deeply until Grandmaster’s figure completely vanished, engraving the transmitted martial art in my head and his advice deep in my chest.

**

The world of martial arts was wondrous.

Overnight, due to the fortuitous encounter of meeting Grandmaster Jin-cheon, both my internal energy and martial arts advanced by a level, but…

‘Although I obtained the True Formula of Wind, I cannot see a clear path to the True Formula of Thunder.’

The path to the True Formula of Thunder mentioned by Grandmaster Jin-cheon seemed distant.

It was because it was the direct transmission of none other than Immortal Sanfeng. The martial arts of Immortal Sanfeng, who founded Wudang martial arts, could not possibly be easy to master. I evaluated it as a not-so-bad achievement to have obtained the True Formula of Wind of the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm simultaneously with entry.

Even so, the reason impatience settled in my heart was thanks to the advice mixed with expectation left behind by the Sword Immortal.

‘I want to show achievements even a day faster.’

Since the butterfly dream in the Library Pavilion, I had been receiving various gazes of expectation, but I knew very well that those gazes of expectation could turn into disappointment at any time.

It was because they were gazes I had received for a long time since the age of eight.

Therefore, as soon as I opened my eyes, after a light session of circulating qi and breathing, I headed to the training ground. First, I performed the new Tai Chi Chuan infused with the True Formula of Swiftness, and next, I unraveled the routine of the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm.

‘Laminar flow control is still fine, but turbulent flow control is difficult.’

The true qi force of the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm rotated along the routine, exhibiting two kinds of flows.

Laminar flow flowing and overlapping parallel to the routine.

Turbulent flow showing a chaotic flow regardless of the routine.

Naturally, as the amount of laminar flow increased, the power of the palm force would increase. If it were the same amount of true qi? If I could control the turbulent flow and form it into laminar flow, I would be able to double the power.

While I was unfolding the palm force to control the turbulent flow like that, a familiar sword blade approached. Along with it, the sword qi force extending from the blade pressured the surroundings and bound my true qi. I immediately struck the overlapped palm force of the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm toward the sword blade.

With a harsh wind sound, the net of force that was binding my entire body in the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm force tore, and the sword blade bent as if it would break.

“Heup!”

The man holding the sword was able to protect the sword blade after dispersing the remaining force with the movement of his wrist in addition to the Cloud-Climbing Step’s footwork force.

“…That is a palm method of incredible power. It is a martial art I did not see in the last duel…”

The young Taoist landed on the training ground floor after doing a somersault in the air.

Senior Brother Myeong-hun, who emitted a powerful glare contrasting with his vacant atmosphere, was looking at me with eyes mixed with surprise and curiosity.

Simultaneously with sheathing his sword, Senior Brother showed interest in the palm method I unfolded.

“…The flow of true qi is not natural, is it? It feels as if you are forcing the control of the flow. Why not let the energy flow naturally instead? There is also a saying that the highest good is like water, right?”

The Highest Good is Like Water.

It was one of the core teachings of Taoism.

It meant that the highest good was like water.

‘Right. I must operate the qi without resisting the natural flow, like water flowing. Trying to calculate and control all the scattered and chaotic turbulent flow is not wisdom. It is merely foolish bravado. I will leave it as it is.’

The moment I heard Senior Brother Myeong-hun’s words, my impatient mind felt washed away by water. I clasped my fists toward Senior Brother and expressed my gratitude.

“Thank you for your teaching, Senior Brother. Thanks to you, I feel as if the delusion filling my head has cleared.”

“Oh… Oh? Really? I am glad my words were helpful.”

At the same time, Senior Brother Myeong-hun hesitated for a moment and then asked me.

“Then, if it is not rude, could I know the name of the palm method you just unfolded? If it were Martial Uncle Gangwon’s martial arts, I do not think I, a True Martial Pavilion disciple, would be ignorant of it, but your palm method is unfamiliar.”

To Senior Brother’s question, I replied readily.

“It is a palm method called the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm, Senior Brother.”

“Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm… Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm?!”

With eyes widened in surprise, Senior Brother quickly poured out his words.

“By any chance, is the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm that you are speaking of the same one that Founder Sanfeng was said to have mastered? Wait. That does not make sense. I have never heard that Martial Uncle Gangwon mastered the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm. No, in the first place, isn’t it a martial art whose entry itself was prohibited due to the Martial Uncles of the Yang generation falling into deviation into heresy as a group after entering the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm?”

A secret history of the sect heard for the first time poured out from Senior Brother Myeong-hun’s mouth. Seeing my bewildered face, Senior Brother continued his questions once again.

“No. How on earth did you… No, wait, then Junior Brother, is your body okay? Is there anywhere uncomfortable or any place where your qi and blood are twisted?”

The moment I tried to answer Senior Brother, who was approaching in worry, someone answered on my behalf beforehand.

“Baek-jung is fine, so do not make such a fuss, Myeong-hun.”

Taoist Nun Hye-won was flashing a brilliant light in her eyes.

I could tell that it was a trace of raising the internal energy of the Tai Chi Diagram Exposition. She looked at me with a peculiar gaze and then opened her mouth.

“Did you… by any chance see the Elder of the Sword-Resting Rock?”

To her question, I replied with a small nod.

“Yes.”

“You have obtained a fortuitous encounter indeed.”

Taoist Nun Hye-won, who closely examined me with bright eyes, guessed the origin of my increased internal energy and martial arts. She must have captured the trace of Grandmaster’s internal energy that had flowed into my body during the process of qi guidance.

She and I silently exchanged glances.

—Keep silent about the Sword Immortal.

—Of course.

Right after that, Martial Aunt Hye-won opened her mouth as she looked at me and Senior Brother Myeong-hun.

“You have become respectable warriors of the True Martial Pavilion’s Greedy Wolf Unit.”

From her words, I had an intuition.

The work that Wudang Sect’s True Martial Pavilion did.

It was to become a sword in exercising the martial prowess of Wudang in the Jianghu.

“True Martial Pavilion Greedy Wolf Unit warriors Myeong-hun and Yeon Baek-jung. Go support the Greedy Wolf Unit members who have departed to deal with the remnants of the Blood Selling Cult disturbing Wuchang.”