Chapter 2

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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**

Inside the Purple Yang Hermitage.

As the water in the kettle boiled, the lid rattled.

Soon, hot water was poured from the kettle’s spout into the lidded teacup. The tea leaves contained in the lidded teacup, soaked in hot water, began to swim inside the teacup.

I watched that sight blankly for a moment, closed the lid of the teacup, and looked at Master.

Immortal Gangwon, whose eyes met mine, opened his mouth.

“You have improved a lot. In a few days.”

Master’s voice was low and calm, but I did not miss the twitching of his mouth.

It meant he was satisfied.

Since the martial arts of his disciple, which had made no progress for years, improved overnight, it must have felt like his blocked acupoints had been opened. I carefully opened my mouth in response to Master’s smile.

“This is all thanks to Master making me train in the Library Pavilion.”

At my flattering words, Master’s eyes gleamed.

“Then tell me. How you obtained enlightenment overnight.”

Although it was a question that seemed to say not to play around at first glance, I knew that this question was not just light.

Because anyone in the martial world knows.

That the ways in which a martial artist obtains enlightenment are diverse.

One might suddenly realize one day after steady training, obtain it after long meditation, or gain enlightenment in the midst of fierce real combat.

However, in any case, obtaining enlightenment is but a moment.

This was the reason why enlightenment was called Sudden Realization.

However, what is more important than Sudden Realization is the period after obtaining enlightenment.

Tracing back the process leading to the moment of Sudden Realization to fully gather the enlightenment. Constantly cultivating oneself based on the gathered enlightenment.

This was the reason why Gradual Cultivation followed Sudden Realization.

Therefore, the overnight that Master spoke of was not in the literal sense.

It was a question about the things obtained in the process leading up to the moment of Sudden Realization, and the path to take afterward.

I dropped my playfulness and replied seriously.

“Following Master’s orders, I was reading books in the Library Pavilion as usual and had a dream.”

For a moment Master’s eyebrows twitched, but I quickly continued my words.

“It was a dream where I was born, grew up, and died in a bizarre world covered with tall towers and black, hard ground. In that world, I taught young students like me and also interacted with various people who studied like me.”

It might sound like nonsense to anyone else, but Master was different. His eyebrows, which were rising at the word that I dozed off in the Library Pavilion, settled down calmly.

At the same time, Master’s question followed as soon as my words ended.

“What was that study?”

I was about to answer the question immediately but hesitated.

‘The Law of Inertia, the Law of Acceleration, Action and Reaction, Conservation of Momentum…’

The theories that explained and systematized the principles of how things move and their logic embroidered my mind, but.

‘To explain it in words… it feels daunting.’

So I had no choice but to answer like this.

“…I learned and also taught the principles of how the world turns.”

After a moment of silence at my answer, Master opened his mouth.

“How did that logic act upon your Tai Chi Chuan?”

“Meaning was generated in the mnemonic formulas and routines of Tai Chi Chuan.”

“Can you explain it?”

At Master’s words, I began to unpack the contents I had interpreted and understood during today’s training session.

“I interpreted the word to keep the body upright in the Great Emptiness Form as maintaining the center. Because only then is force loaded onto the routine and it does not shake. In addition, only when one relaxes the mind and energy can it smoothly…”

Starting from the First Form, Great Emptiness Form, to the Ninth Form, Cloud Hands, my interpretation continued without blockages.

Having heard all my words, Master closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and tilted his head.

“I heard you well. I heard you well, but… the Tai Chi Chuan you performed in the yard just a moment ago seemed different from your current interpretation?”

I flinched at that question.

The sequence of thoughts that had not yet been gathered into a systematic language. Because the movements chasing that sequence were contained in the Tai Chi Chuan in the yard, I had not included them in the interpretation just now.

Even with only the verbally explained interpretation, Master was a person who could draw the forms and routines of martial arts in his head. In addition.

“Are you perhaps trying to apply the training of the Tai Chi Ball Skill to Tai Chi Chuan?”

Since he could also interpret the martial arts in reverse.

‘As expected.’

I shook my head in admiration.

“Yes. However, that part has not yet been fully organized.”

At my words, Master opened his mouth with an expressionless face no different from the beginning. However, I did not miss Master’s twitching mouth.

“You are quite decent.”

Although it was a short word.

I could tell.

That I was recognized by Master for the first time.

In addition, that the interpretation I presented and the path I was walking were not wrong.

Subsequently, Master opened his mouth in a grumbling tone.

“Since you were capable of doing this, why have you slacked off so much until now?”

At those words, I replied as if I could not lose either.

“Since Master did not inspect me often, your disciple had no choice but to grow lazy.”

“This rascal?”

“I will devote myself further in the future.”

“Yes, you rascal. If you knew how much I had to walk on eggshells in the sect because of you, you would be startled.”

“If Master knew how much sorrow I ate while walking on eggshells, you would also be surprised.”

“In speech, you are one of the Ten Great Masters.”

“Is this not all thanks to learning well from Master?”

At my words, Master twitched his mouth again and spoke.

“However, you must not be satisfied with that level of achievement. Continue the Library Pavilion training steadily.”

“Yes.”

I nodded at Master’s request.

Even if I could not know whether that dream was thanks to the reading in the Library Pavilion or not, there was no reason to refuse since it was a moment of Sudden Realization for me.

“Yes. It is late, so sleep.”

Ending with those words, Master rose from his seat.

That day, I had a bizarre dream.

It was a dream where the iron ball for Tai Chi Ball Skill training rolled down an inclined slope countless times.

**

‘A dream.’

Immortal Gangwon, an elder of Wudang Sect, chewed over the words his disciple had made just a moment ago.

‘They said the Old Immortal of Nanhua (Zhuangzi) had a dream of a butterfly in the immortal realm, and to think my disciple would also obtain a similar serendipitous chance.’

Of course, if he had only heard these words, he would have scolded him for speaking nonsense, but it was what he heard after facing the Tai Chi Chuan in the yard.

No matter how absurd the words, it was a change he could not help but believe.

‘It connected without blockages, and it was full of force. Even though he deployed it without loading internal energy, he properly expressed Silk Reeling.’

The Tai Chi Chuan his disciple displayed in the yard of Purple Yang Hermitage expressed the essence of Wudang martial arts while also differing from ordinary Tai Chi Chuan.

‘How did he deploy it so fast?’

Adding speed to Tai Chi Chuan without internal energy was something he had never seen nor heard of. To the extent that if he only accumulated internal Release of Force properly, there would be no difficulty in applying it to real combat immediately.

At the change of his disciple who had obtained great awakening overnight, Immortal Gangwon even had an absurd thought.

‘Perhaps a talent that surpasses Master?’

Immortal Gangwon looked toward the Resting Sword Hermitage in the deepest valley of Wudang Mountain, then shook his head.

Master’s standard was incomparably high compared to himself. Since Gangwon himself fell far short of Master’s standards.

‘Not yet. How can I show a fellow who just mastered the basics of Tai Chi Chuan to Master.’

While thinking such, suddenly.

Dong! Dong!

The sound of the bell announcing the Hour of the Rat was heard.

‘Oh dear. Before I knew it!’

To think that just trying to check his disciple’s achievement, enticed by Myeong-cheol’s words, had already led to the Hour of the Rat. Since an elder of a great sect could not be leisurely.

‘I am done for sleep today as well.’

As he deployed Wudang’s secret Flowing Cloud Movement Skill to the limit, Immortal Gangwon’s figure scattered like clouds, and

in the place he departed, beside his disciple Yeon Baek-jung, only warmth as warm as the sunset remained.

**

Gye-yang, a Wudang Sect disciple of the Yang generation, watched Seon-yang who was dazed with his chopsticks held in midair during breakfast, and waved his palm before his eyes.

“Huh? Yeah.”

Gye-yang asked Seon-yang, who had regained his senses.

“What is it? Why are you so distracted?”

At Gye-yang’s question, Seon-yang set down his chopsticks and spoke.

“Did you guys see Martial Uncle Yeon practicing the Tai Chi Chuan stances yesterday?”

At Seon-yang’s question, Gye-yang and his generation-brother Bo-yang, who sat opposite Gye-yang, also shook their heads.

“Since Martial Uncle Myeong-cheol was standing in front with wide eyes, where would we have the leisure to look around?”

“I was busy mastering my own movements.”

Watching his generation-brothers, Seon-yang spoke with shining eyes.

“I saw it.”

“……”

“……”

After a moment of silence.

“Ah. Okay. Congratulations.”

“You had a good view, hey. Must have been nice.”

Even at his generation-brothers’ indifferent reactions, Seon-yang did not yield.

“You guys will also know when you see it.”

“What is there to see, it’s embarrassing.”

“Peeping like that, that is a disease.”

Despite the two’s playful reactions, Seon-yang was serious.

“That Martial Uncle has changed from before.”

At Seon-yang’s words, Gye-yang and Bo-yang showed sulky expressions.

“People do not change that easily.”

At Bo-yang’s cynical words, Gye-yang also nodded.

“If he was going to change, he would have changed long ago. What is this, coming to this point.”

Yeon Baek-jung was famous even within Wudang Sect.

Because when judged only by strength, no one of his age could match him, but his odd imbalance of falling behind in the realization of martial studies was bound to draw attention.

In that respect, Bo-yang and Gye-yang’s reactions were natural.

Because the word that their same-aged martial uncle, whom they had watched since childhood, changed overnight was hard for anyone to believe.

However, there was also a disciple who reacted somewhat uniquely.

“Hmph. Even if he changed, so what. He is still just a wriggling earthworm.”

A boy with a large frame for his age and a greasy face intervened between the three.

Gye-yang frowned at the boy’s words.

“What kind of language is that, Un-seong? He is our Martial Uncle. An earthworm?”

“He received all the expectations from the elders of the sect. He must have received support commensurate with those expectations. Yet his achievements are at the level of our Yang generation. He fell behind, unable to overcome the burden. I cannot recognize someone who runs in place with effort lesser than his talent as my Martial Uncle.”

“Je Un-seong!”

The indifferent Bo-yang and Gye-yang also had no choice but to flare up at the words of the greasy, large boy called Je Un-seong. Even if they were not greatly bound by generation due to the free sect style, Wudang Sect was a renowned orthodox sect. There was a minimum politeness to maintain toward those of higher generations.

Above all, the three, including Seon-yang, had been close friends with Yeon Baek-jung since childhood. They could not watch Je Un-seong’s rudeness with open eyes.

“Apologize. Calling Martial Uncle lacking, calling him a fellow. Are you still a Wudang disciple after that?”

“Martial Uncle could change, what is so pleasing that you slander him in his absence? Go find Martial Uncle and apologize immediately.”

“Hmph. Didn’t you guys say so too? That people don’t change easily. The ones hiding their true feelings are you all, so why should I apologize? Can I not even call something pathetic, pathetic?”

In front of Gye-yang and Bo-yang who demanded an apology, Je Un-seong shouted even louder. In addition, a boy wearing a hero’s headband with an elegant pattern supported Je Un-seong’s opinion.

“Isn’t Un-seong’s word correct, even if it is harsh? Honestly, none of you believed Seon-yang, that fellow, either, did you? Then why are you picking on Un-seong?”

Then, Bo-yang replied coldly.

“Yeo Sim-yang, stay out of this. Don’t you see we are talking with Je Un-seong right now?”

In addition to Bo-yang, Gye-yang also replied quickly.

“Did we say Martial Uncle did or didn’t change? Because that fellow is acting rudely to Martial Uncle—”

“They said people even curse the King to a tree stump. Intervening like you guys just because someone cursed behind his back is also ridiculous. Unless the person concerned steps forward himself.”

“Is that so?”

Just as Gye-yang and Bo-yang were about to protest further, Seon-yang, who had been quiet, stepped forward.

“What is it, Seon-yang?”

When the boy with the hero’s headband, Yeo Sim-yang, asked, Seon-yang smiled widely and spoke.

“If Martial Uncle steps forward himself and shows his skills, then you guys will also be able to admit that Martial Uncle has changed, right?”

Yeo Sim-yang frowned at Seon-yang’s words.

“How are you going to show that he changed? Is Martial Uncle a puppet that moves according to your words?”

“Of course not.”

Then, Seon-yang continued calmly.

“Won’t we have Push Hands sparring during the next Tai Chi Chuan training? Let’s make a bet then, wagering the Lesser Cleansing Pill promised to the winner. Whether Martial Uncle has changed or not.”

**

In Tai Chi Chuan training, there are stance training and Push Hands sparring.

Stance training is moving along the given routine.

On the other hand, Push Hands sparring was different.

It was to compete in each other’s Tai Chi Chuan achievements based on the routines mastered through stance training.

“Therefore, simply pressing down the opponent with strength cannot be called a true victory in Push Hands sparring.”

Senior Brother Myeong-cheol’s gaze as he explained directed toward me.

Undoubtedly, because of what I had done.

What was strange was that the gaze was not one looking at a pathetic fellow as before, but the time he gave that gaze was too short for me to notice.

“Everyone, line up in pairs.”

I searched for Seon-yang, Bo-yang, or Gye-yang, with whom I always sparred.

Yet today of all days, Seon-yang paired with Bo-yang and Gye-yang was already standing paired with another generation-brother.

‘These rascals?’

At the moment I wondered if they were suddenly ostracizing only me.

“Martial Uncle, will you teach me a hand today?”

Je Un-seong, the large boy next to Seon-yang, approached me.