Chapter 71

===================
Translated by Seoulbound

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

Ultimately, there were two choices I could make.

‘Whether to focus on training my martial arts while being safely protected within the sect, or to receive missions just like before.’

Since the answer in my heart was simple.

I intended to reply right away.

At that moment.

“Wait.”

My master cut off my words.

“Would you like to hear what I have to say first before making your decision?”

In any case, he was a master who respected my wishes.

Therefore, I nodded, and my master opened his mouth as deeply and gently as the aroma of tea.

“You must know that the sect expects quite a lot from you because of what you have accomplished so far. At the same time, this means other sects are also paying attention to you.”

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

While active in the Murim Alliance Mobile Unit’s Group Bing, I performed missions while rubbing shoulders with disciples from various affiliations such as the Tang Clan, the Yan Clan, the Namgung Clan, the Qingcheng Sect, the Hainan Sect, and the Kongtong Sect.

Was that all?

When fighting bloody battles against the blood ghouls in Xining, I also briefly acquainted myself with disciples from Group Jia, Group Ding, and Group Xin.

This meant that most people from prestigious righteous sects participating in the Murim Alliance would have recognized me.

Just then, my master filled the empty teacup and continued.

“It is not just the prestigious righteous sects. This means that the Six Great Evils have also begun to pay attention to you.”

“Ah.”

“Even if we put the Young Spirit Slayer aside, the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas personally stepped forward. Even if we assume the Dawn Sky Blood Cult’s Phantom Shadow Blood Lord did not have you in mind, the dispatch of the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas was clearly a move designed to kill both you and Hye-won.”

My master’s Taoist name was Hye-song.

He was the person who collected all information on the Wudang Sect and decided the future of the sect.

There was no way to refute an argument with such clear evidence.

Therefore.

“Are you telling me to refrain from traveling the Jianghu because it is dangerous?”

“Yes. I want you to…”

My master hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“…stay in the sect. I think it would be best for you not to receive any missions.”

With those words, my master closed his mouth and moistened his throat with tea.

At the same time, I could tell.

That the words he had just spoken were not spoken as a master.

It was the affection of a close relative.

His desire for his disciple not to get hurt reached my heart.

However.

“Master.”

I met my master’s eyes.

I knew.

And what I knew was something my master also knew.

“Do you remember what I said when I first returned after dealing with the remnants of the Blood Selling Cult?”

“…”

I held the teapot with both hands and continued speaking.

“I like the mountains. Because this place is my home.”

Then, pouring tea into my master’s empty cup, I continued speaking.

“But I am a disciple of the Wudang Sect. Among Wudang’s teachings, there is no teaching that tells us to hide in fear of external threats.”

My master’s eyes trembled.

I looked into those eyes without shaking and said,

“You said that the path of martial studies, the great Tao, cannot be attained alone. Just as you said, it was when I ventured into the Jianghu that I realized the usefulness of our sect’s teachings.”

“When I rescued the people captured by the Blood Selling Cult, and when I defeated the monster unleashed by the Ghost Immortal Valley and saved Hwan-yang. That was when I understood why I learned martial arts, and why I liked martial arts. And,”

“I also learned where and how my martial arts were lacking.”

It was a series of obvious statements.

It was a natural conclusion.

When I was surrounded by masked bandits in a remote mountain, I realized that I needed the mnemonic formulas of the Slender Willow Flutter, which allowed me to take my steps.

Thanks to completing the Primal Chaos Tai Chi Art through experience, I was able to save Hwan-yang from the monsters of the Ghost Immortal Valley.

By facing the Young Spirit Slayer, I confronted the Qingcheng Sect’s Sword of Qingyun Chixia, and was able to reach the True Formula of Thunder of the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm.

What if I had not obtained the True Formula of Thunder back then?

I would have lost Martial Aunt Hye-won to the Great Sage Who Overturns Seas.

I would not have been able to defeat the Phantom Shadow Blood Lord who raided the Hao Sect’s evil branch.

‘If that had happened, Martial Aunt Hye-won, Group Jia, and Group Bing would not have survived.’

I would not have been able to protect them if I had only stayed on the mountain.

One could not grow by hiding.

I did not want to live like moss between rocks.

I wanted to become a tree that could cast shade for people to rest in.

Therefore.

“It seems I have no choice but to go against your wishes this time.”

I put down the teapot.

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.

My face flushed for no reason out of apologetic feelings for defying my master’s wishes and a sense of regret that seemed to discard his worries.

However.

“…Do you think I do not know you?”

My master nodded nonchalantly.

As if he had expected me to say that.

And then he continued speaking.

“Drinking the tea poured by my disciple… is nice.”

With those words, he chuckled.

He smiled.

It was rare.

It was an extremely rare smile from my master.

**

The Elders’ Meeting opened once again.

The agenda was the same as before.

-How to nurture Yeon Baek-jung.

However, before the meeting began, the oldest member of the Won generation, Immortal Mang-won, distributed a bundle of papers to the elders.

“Take a look at this, everyone.”

On the paper, complex diagrams and hard-to-recognize formulas were scribbled in a chaotic manner.

“What on earth is this…?”

“Could this be… a sword manual?”

Among those who received the sword manual from Immortal Mang-won, the Lord of the Prosperity Star Unit, Immortal Im-won, spoke with shining eyes.

“This is the sword manual of the Four Symbols Flowing Sword.”

“Indeed it is.”

The position that managed all the secret manuals of the sect was none other than the Lord of the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion. For such an Immortal Mang-won to suddenly produce a new sword manual? Since it was no ordinary matter, those gathered at the scene began to read through the manual frantically.

“This seems to be a sword art different from the existing Four Symbols Flowing Sword manual, though?”

“How should we interpret this formula…? Since numbers and symbols are written down, it is difficult to interpret.”

The sword manual, which was made for ‘anyone’ to easily read and master, was written in a form that was not easy for ‘anyone’ to read and master.

Consequently, where did the eyes of the elders turn?

To a person who was even more well-versed in this field than the Lord of the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion.

“Senior Brother Bang-won, you can interpret this, right?”

“We would be grateful if you could give us a precise explanation.”

It was Immortal Bang-won, the head of the Clear Spirit Palace where the Taoist studies disciples of the Wudang Sect resided.

The Taoist studies disciples were well-versed not only in martial arts, spells, and Taoist scripture interpretation, but also in various fields of learning.

The one who stood at the pinnacle of those Taoist studies disciples was the Lord of the Clear Spirit Palace.

In other words, when it came to interpreting difficult-to-recognize symbols or codes, this person would do a better job than the Lord of the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion.

Just as they predicted, Immortal Bang-won, who received the sword manual, adjusted his spectacles and scanned the pages.

“Ohho. The distribution of internal power is calculated using mathematics. Good heavens? Even equations? Wait, this is…?!”

The eyes of Immortal Bang-won, who was interpreting the complex symbols without hindrance, grew as large as brass bells.

At that sight, the other elders, especially Immortal Mang-won, asked.

“What is it? Is there something wrong with it?”

“No, that is not it. I am also… seeing these symbols for the first time… but it seems to be traces of calculating something by dividing it finely. I have never seen such symbols in any book throughout history.”

“?!”

Surprisingly, the statement that it was difficult to interpret came out of Immortal Bang-won’s mouth.

However, scanning the sword manual carefully once again, Immortal Bang-won wiped the sweat from his forehead, pulled out a brush and paper from his robe, and began to write something down frantically, successfully grasping the purpose of the symbols that had been difficult to interpret.

Yet his voice lacked confidence.

“Hmm… It seems like calculating the slope of a trajectory by slicing something finely. By doing so, predicting the forms? Uh-huh. To think such a thing is possible.”

Since differentiation and integration, which were first developed and discovered by the great master of England, Newton (Leaking sheath words), and Leibniz, had not yet appeared in this era, no matter how erudite Immortal Bang-won was, he could not recognize the symbols for differentiation and integration.

However, he deduced it.

That one could analyze and predict an opponent’s forms through a mathematical concept of finely cutting shapes and piecing them back together.

Moreover, that it was implemented into the sword path.

As a result of such interpretation,

“The utilization of the flexor muscle holding the sword hilt has been maximized. If this is done, the efficiency of internal power will increase, but it will put a strain on the arm…”

“Ah! Does this mean that supporting the Shaohai acupoint with internal power can reduce that burden? Hehe! In this case, the variations of the sword path will become even more diverse, and the control of overlapping sword qi will be carried out effectively!”

“Haha. Although the difficulty of entering the sect’s martial art has risen compared to the existing Four Symbols Flowing Sword, the power has doubled. This means the utilization of the sword force has increased! On top of that, since the specific distribution of muscular strength and internal power has been described, it is highly worth researching for the Taoist studies disciples!”

Immortal Bang-won said with his head buried, as if being sucked into the sword manual.

Revealing the value of the new Four Symbols Flowing Sword manual.

And then he finally raised his head and shouted.

“Just who on earth made this sword manual? To think such an idea is possible! That such a forward-thinking genius of mathematics was inside our sect! This means he is a talent that must be brought to the Clear Spirit Palace to be nurtured immediately! Locking him up… No, he is a child who deserves to be brought by my side and nurtured!”

And seeing such an Immortal Bang-won, Immortal Mang-won showed a sly smile.

“Is it that excellent? That sword manual?”

“No, senior brother, do you not know? You can also interpret it to some extent, can you not? This has perfectly compensated for the weaknesses of the sword path established by the Sword Immortal. It would be hard to do any better than this.”

At Immortal Bang-won’s confirmation, even the elders, who had been cautious with incomprehensible words until then, began to get excited little by little.

“Hurry up and tell us! The person who made this sword manual!”

“Seeing that it was brought from the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion, is he not a disciple of the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion? We must immediately admit him to the Clear Spirit Palace. We cannot let such a talent go to waste…”

Immortal Bang-won, who barely caught his spectacles that were about to fall off in his excitement, frowned.

Because Immortal Mang-won’s smile grew even deeper.

In addition, his mouth slowly opened, and a single name was called.

“It is the Bringer of Chaos.”

“Are you talking about the disciple of the True Martial Pavilion who mastered the Four Symbols Flowing Sword yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“No, you said he entered the Four Symbols Flowing Sword yesterday, so then when did he make this sword manual…?”

“Yesterday.”

“?”

“Really. That child made it yesterday.”

**

Immortal Gangwon, who entered the Elders’ Meeting room after finishing his duties at the Sea Fog Pavilion, was taken aback by the atmosphere of the meeting room which was filled with heat.

‘What is this?’

The agenda for this meeting was about his disciple.

Since a discussion regarding the future of his highly talented disciple was ongoing, there had been sharp confrontations, but the atmosphere had not been overheated to this extent.

At that moment, someone approached him rapidly.

Immortal Bang-won, the Lord of the Clear Spirit Palace, stood before him holding the mysterious bundle of papers.

“Look at this!”

And thrust it forward.

Moreover, the gazes of the elders in the hall were also in an atmosphere of urging him to look at the sword manual.

‘What on earth is it?’

Immortal Gangwon rapidly scanned the bundle of papers from where he stood.

He could tell as soon as he saw it.

It was a new Four Symbols Flowing Sword manual that broke away from the traditional one.

At the same time, Immortal Gangwon deduced.

The atmosphere in the hall.

The sword manual.

The agenda.

Things that could be easily inferred through these three clues.

‘Could it be? Baek-jung did?! Is that why he was at the Mysterious Heaven Pavilion yesterday?!’

Just as predicted.

“This is a revolution! I am saying that this is a sword manual that will be of great help in mastering the sword art as long as one knows how to read it properly! If he is a child who can make such a thing! We should lock him up… No, we should place him in secluded meditation, feed him only fasting pills, and have him organize our sect’s martial arts.”

At Immortal Bang-won’s words, a majority of the elders who had previously advocated for protecting Yeon Baek-jung also nodded their heads greatly to express their agreement.

However.

“W-Well, is there not the conclusion we reached in the previous meeting?”

At Immortal Gangwon’s reminding words, the faces of the elders began to darken rapidly.

“Could it be?”

At the asking elders’ words, Immortal Gangwon nodded and conveyed his disciple’s intentions.

“…Therefore, I hope you will respect that child’s wishes.”

After finishing his words, Immortal Gangwon flinched.

This was because a fierce wave of energy washed over his body.

“…So you just stayed still even though your disciple said that?”

“You would send a child who can casually create such secret manuals out into the Jianghu? Into the Jianghu where the villains of the Six Great Evils run rampant?”

The eldest senior brother of the Won generation, Immortal Mang-won, along with the equally distinguished Immortal Hae-won and the majority of the elders.

They revealed their momentum and pressured Immortal Gangwon.

No matter how much of a member of the Nine Swords of Wudang he was, when confronted with the momentum of two senior disciples of the same sect and the opposition of a majority of the elders, he had no choice but to be pushed back.

This was a physiological reaction even before the level of martial arts entered the equation.

“U-Um, my disciple also has a reasonable reason…”

“Whatever the reason! You should have persuaded him!”

“Did you not also inwardly share the same view as us!”

“Go back and persuade your disciple again!”

“If persuasion does not work, even if you have to use the rod!”

“Senior brother, that is a bit…”

Hum, hum. Yes. That was a bit harsh.

At the moment the atmosphere was overheating like that,

“Then, how about doing it like this?”

the Managing Elder, Immortal Hyeon-won, who sat in the seat of honor, opened his mouth softly.

**

My master, who had set out with a smile, returned with a strange expression.

“How did it go?”

Judging by that strange expression,

‘Was my opinion rejected?’

I did think that my opinion of wanting to go on missions might not be reflected.

Because even my master had stopped me at first.

However, the disappointment could not be helped.

“Then, I will prepare for secluded meditation.”

At my downcast voice, my master grabbed my shoulder and said,

“It is not secluded meditation.”

“Yes?”

“Do you, by any chance, have any thoughts of teaching children?”

“Yes? Suddenly? Children?”

“Did you not teach the Primal Chaos Tai Chi Art in the Greedy Wolf Unit some time ago?”

At my master’s words, I nodded reluctantly, and

“A suggestion was made to teach the children whose talents have been verified at Prince Slope based on the sword manual you made. The Sect Leader said that he would give rest to the disciples who participated in the Murim Alliance meeting for the time being. Only during that rest period, in between breaks.”

And then my master continued speaking.

“Ah, of course, I am not saying you should focus solely on teaching. It is just that when you have a moment to clear your head while training, you should try teaching the children.”

“Only until you receive your next mission.”

‘If it is only until I receive my next mission?’

I thought it did not matter much.

Moreover, since it was an opportunity to see my martial nephews and Hwan-yang after a long time.

‘There was no reason to refuse.’

Since my opinion had not been dismissed, and it was only during my rest period.

I readily nodded.