Chapter 55: Formatting |
I informed Threefold Expert Lee Gwang that I had been a disciple of another branch of the Thunder God Sect and had been practicing it since a very young age. While it might be suspicious to have reached such a level in just a few years, he seemed to think I wasn’t a half-crazed martial artist. I honestly told him about consuming the thousand-year snow ginseng regarding my internal strength.
After hearing my story, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang felt my pulse.
Then he murmured softly,
“The thousand-year snow ginseng truly is a miraculous elixir. Almost all your major meridians are open, and you’re just short of reaching the Heavenly Spirit Pill.”
Heavenly Spirit Pill?
I cocked my head at the unfamiliar term, but he didn’t elaborate further. He then said,
“You and I are from the same sect. If you wish to accept me as your master again, perform the Nine Bows Ceremony here.”
“Yes.”
Without hesitation, I performed the Nine Bows Ceremony. I had come here with the resolve to learn everything under him for decades. After completing the nine bows, Lee Gwang spoke,
“Yes.”
“Baekwoong. As you must have heard from your master, the Thunder God Sect is a tradition passed down to many and is a formidable martial sect. You have high potential, so train diligently to reach the pinnacle of the Thunder God Sect.”
“I understand.”
I didn’t ask about the history of the Thunder God Sect this time. Overeager questioning could create suspicion with Threefold Expert Lee Gwang, and that would be troublesome. Instead, I noticed something odd.
‘Previously, Lee Gwang asked about the power of my Mysterious Heavenly Divine Skill. Why didn’t he mention it this time?’
Did he fail to notice, or did he intentionally avoid the topic?
I had learned the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique’s true energy technique from Taoist Hyuncheon, which, mixed with my enormous internal strength, gave me control over a separate divine power. Over time, with continuous internal strength training and consuming elixirs, the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique also developed. But Lee Gwang didn’t probe into the origins of the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique.
However, revealing that out of fear would be even more foolish. Regardless of Lee Gwang’s intentions, if he had wanted to kill me, he wouldn’t have bothered with all this. I steeled my resolve and said,
“I’ve come to learn the martial arts of the Thunder God Sect. I am prepared.”
“Prepared, eh? That’s good to hear.”
Threefold Expert Lee Gwang smiled contentedly.
“From today, you are my direct disciple, and Jin So-cheong will be your senior brother. Given your skills, I’ll assign you the position of an instructor for now, and you will learn directly from me for the time being.”
“Yes.”
Then he muttered as if he had just remembered something,
“Come to think of it, So-cheong said he was going to meet a friend.”
It seems I’ve entered the school on the same day as before. By now, Jin So-cheong would be helping Namgoong Hwan and his fiancée to escape and heading towards the Jo Clan’s Manor. Soon, they would secretly flee with the help of the Jo Clan’s Manor’s owner. However, their escape would be caught by dozens of first-class martial artists, leading to an inevitable battle near the Hangu Pass.
I asked,
“What should I do?”
After a moment’s thought, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang waved his hand.
“No… it’s fine. He’ll come back on his own. You can rest for today.”
“Yes.”
Previously, I had shown an active desire to meet my ‘senior brother’ directly. Therefore, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang had once assigned me the task of bringing my senior brother to him. At that time, I was keen to see Namgung Hwan, so I took the initiative.
However, this time, I decided not to intervene. At this point, Jin So-cheong’s skills are beyond what a group of first-rate martial artists could handle. Even if left alone, he could easily annihilate them like a wolf among sheep, as history had shown.
‘I want to save time and energy.’
Soon, I will be training hard to the point of death. I didn’t want to waste my energy wandering around. Besides, I was already too familiar with Jin So-cheong’s skills to need to re-watch his prowess.
“Bang-il. Take Instructor Baek to his quarters.”
“Yes, Headmaster.”
I followed Bang-il’s guidance to the separate quarters assigned to the instructors. Even as he led me, Bang-il kept glancing at me with disbelief, unable to roughhouse or threaten me as he used to.
Understandably, a trainee like Bang-il would know that when someone like Lee Gwang takes someone as an instructor, it implies corresponding skills. He probably figured that picking a fight with me wouldn’t end well for him.
“Instructor, this is your separate quarters. Please rest comfortably.”
Bang-il’s tone had turned respectful. While I was just a disciple and trainee under Chief Instructor Jin So-cheong during my first entry, it was natural for him to speak formally to an instructor appointed directly by the headmaster. It must have been an unavoidable circumstance for Bang-il, who earnestly aimed to become a master.
Lying on the comfortable bed in my quarters, I thought,
‘No need for pretense. I’ll go all out from tomorrow.’
Originally, I thought of acting a bit under my level due to my young age. However, after being taught by Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong over the years, I knew that half-hearted deception wouldn’t work with them. It was much better to honestly collide with the level I understood and thought about.
The next morning, Jin So-cheong returned. Seeing me, the new instructor, he smiled brightly.
“I have a new disciple! I’m counting on you, Instructor Baekwoong.”
“Yes, senior brother.”
I forced a smile. After competing with and learning from this man for years, he felt more like a master than Threefold Expert Lee Gwang. However, I didn’t show my feelings too openly and kept my emotions somewhat aloof.
Then the training began.
Threefold Expert Lee Gwang decided to start with a sparring session on the first day of one-on-one instruction. It wasn’t the spear sparring I had with Jin So-cheong before but with wooden swords. Standing at a distance, Lee Gwang adopted a stance that covered half his body and said,
“Come at me.”
“Hah!”
I didn’t hold back. I already knew that Lee Gwang was many times stronger than his publicly known assessment.
Crackle
Instantly, the level of Spiritual Thunder I had mastered exploded, and my reflexes and speed increased dramatically. Blue thunder energy swirled around my wooden sword, powerful enough to dismember even a first-class martial artist. And I surged forward at a terrifying speed.
Shush, shush, shush
I executed the Lightning Shadow Step in a continuous cycle, sliding like a mirror reflection and performed a triple consecutive strike. This was a more improved attack than what I had practiced during my second entrance. My form accelerated with the Lightning Shadow Step, creating brief sparks on the ground.
Whoosh
“……!!”
However, I realized that all my attacks had been narrowly deflected by a mere hair’s breadth. Moreover, Lee Gwang had not only evaded but also counterattacked with his Sword Energy Acupoint Strike, a level of skill invisible to my eyes. The idea that he could use sword energy to execute acupoint strikes was unimaginable to me.
Is this an advanced form of the Lightning Shadow Sword Technique?
I keenly felt that he had stepped into a realm of martial arts beyond comprehension.
Thud
During my past lives, my extensive real-life combat experience seemed insignificant, as I was defeated in just five seconds. As I tried to release the acupoints that Threefold Expert Lee Gwang had sealed, he said to me,
“Baek-woong.”
“Yes.”
“Your internal strength and techniques might work well against ordinary martial artists of the world. However, they lack intention, making it difficult to properly hit a master, despite having the world’s greatest internal strength.”
“……”
This wasn’t the first time I heard this. Threefold Expert Lee Gwang had repeated it countless times before teaching me. Just one day into my training, I felt I had reached the same starting line as before. In other words, Lee Gwang had just objectively assessed my abilities at this moment.
‘Right. Previously, I couldn’t comprehend his words and ended up wasting time…’
It wasn’t that I was idly passing time. I pondered over what intention and thought meant until my head hurt. I kept swinging my sword, but I couldn’t understand what it all meant. Thus, I desperately sought teachings from Jin So-cheong for the remaining two years, but even that was futile. I was then caught up in the affair of the Golden Guards and sent to Luoyang in that state.
I gritted my teeth and said,
“I don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“Before coming to the master, I had a duel with a formidable expert. I exerted all my internal strength as I do now, increasing my speed and power momentarily, but like now, all my attacks were read and toyed with by him. I might have the greatest internal strength in the world, but why is there such a difference?”
I was referring to my life-or-death battle with the chief of the Golden Guards. No matter how much of a top expert he was in the imperial palace, I was too easily toyed with at that time. Even when he was fighting with three moves held back, I suffered the humiliation of having my sword blade snapped by his finger.
“Hmm…”
Threefold Expert Lee Gwang looked a bit surprised. Judging that there was truth in my words, he seriously pondered before answering,
“You’re lucky to have survived a duel with such a person. Let’s reflect on that duel for a moment.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about the flow of that battle as you remember it.”
I recalled as best as I could the sequence of my techniques and how swiftly and in which direction the chief had evaded during my battle with him. I described it awkwardly over the course of a meal’s time. Although it was embarrassingly crude, Lee Gwang, being a master, seemed to understand it all. After pondering, he spoke,
“That man is undoubtedly a great master. The technique he used is called Shape-Shifting Technique, an ultimate skill of martial arts.”
“Shape-Shifting Technique?”
“It’s not well-known, but this is what it is.”
Shush, shush, shush!
“……!!”
My eyes widened in astonishment.
Incredibly, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang’s figure split into two! To my eyes, it looked like two Lee Gwangs, a clear image of clone technique. Lee Gwang then sent me a telepathic message,
[What do you think? Can you tell which one is the real me?]
I concentrated Qi in my eyes and scrutinized, but I couldn’t tell and shook my head.
“… I don’t know.”
Swoosh
Lee Gwang’s figure merged back into one. He sat back in his chair and continued,
“This isn’t some magical clone technique. It’s a skill that leaves a residual image of Qi to fool the opponent. Those who rely simply on the speed of their bodies are especially susceptible to being deceived by Shape-Shifting Technique. Its density is almost uniform, making it impossible for normal vision to distinguish the real body.”
“Can I… Can I also use Shape-Shifting Technique?”
“Of course, you can. There’s hardly any martial arts technique you cannot perform with your internal strength. But there’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
Ssssssssss
In an instant, his figure multiplied into 4, 8, then 16 images, filling the training hall. Astonishingly, each one was in a different posture and location, as if time had stopped. It was impossible for me to discern the real Lee Gwang among these illusions. Suddenly, I felt a finger press sharply against my back without warning.
“Ah…”
I felt like lightning had struck down my spine. Had his hand been holding even a small dagger, I would have been dead at that moment.
“You couldn’t tell at all, could you? That’s because you’re trying to see the Qi with your eyes. With such rudimentary mastery of Qi, it’s impossible to learn Shape-Shifting Technique in a lifetime.”
“Isn’t it natural to see with the eyes? When I concentrate my internal strength in my eyes, I can see the opponent’s Qi.”
“Shape-Shifting Technique starts from exploiting that very misconception. Qi is not a tangible object; a master can manipulate it to create illusions. In battles beyond the supreme level, this play of reality and illusion becomes inevitable.”
“……!!”
Does that mean I’m bound to be defeated helplessly against a supreme master, just like now? As I was stunned, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang continued explaining.
“From what I see, the foundation of your Thunder God Sect is solidly built. It speaks highly of your previous master’s teaching. Therefore, I will focus on teaching you advanced techniques and higher-level combat strategies.”
“Yes!”
I felt overwhelmed at the prospect of receiving the teachings I had always dreamed of. Previously, Lee Gwang would lose interest and give up after a few days of passionate teaching when he realized I couldn’t understand. But this time, he seemed to have a more direct grasp of my level and his advice seemed to be more detailed.
“First… your initial training.”
I couldn’t help but tense up at his next words.
“Since your strength lies in the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique, practice it a hundred thousand times.”
“A hundred thousand times?”
“Yes. And do it in front of me.”
What connection could there be between higher-level combat methods and such an absurd repetition of techniques? Curiosity welled up inside me, but I forced myself to keep my mouth shut. Previously, I used to ask Lee Gwang questions immediately without further thought, but each time, he looked immensely displeased. To him, it seemed like an attitude of not wanting to think for oneself, which he found disrespectful.
In other words, to get proper training from Threefold Expert Lee Gwang, I needed the mental attitude of pushing my thoughts to the limit and trying hard. I gritted my teeth and responded.
“I will do it.”
From that day on, I started practicing the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique relentlessly. I had revisited the technique during solitary practice before, but never with such a desperate, frenzied repetition as now. Lee Gwang, with his arms crossed, watched me and would hit me with a wooden sword whenever I made a mistake or deviated from the technique.
Whack
“Focus! Who told you to do it half-heartedly? Perform the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique exactly as you were taught.”
Whack
“Not like that, don’t be lazy. Concentrate all your mental energy and execute it quickly, as fast as possible! Precise and fast!”
“Ugh…!!”
That day, I repeated the technique about four thousand five hundred times, and by the end, my whole body felt bruised. If I hadn’t unconsciously defended myself with my internal strength, an ordinary person would have died dozens of times over. It was unsettling to think that Threefold Expert Lee Gwang had pushed me to the brink of death, considering this as well.
After the day’s training ended, I thought I would be able to retreat to my room, but as midnight approached, Lee Gwang suddenly called someone else.
“Jin So-cheong. Monitor him and make sure he doesn’t rest until he completes a hundred thousand repetitions.”
“Understood, master.”
“Take turns watching him for six hours with two other masters.”
“Yes.”
With that, Jin So-cheong sat down in a chair, replacing Lee Gwang who went off to sleep.
‘Not allowed to rest?’
It dawned on me then.
“……!!”
What Lee Gwang meant by a hundred thousand times wasn’t to do it while taking breaks for eating, sleeping, and resting. He literally meant [without a single moment of rest], a hundred thousand times.