Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: In the Jianghu, One's Body is Not One's Own (8) "Shall we start again, then?"
Despite Lee Yu-baek's words, Yeon So-wol remained still.
'A state of self-oblivion?'
It was a state of forgetting oneself by devoting the heart entirely to a single purpose.
Lee Yu-baek felt a sudden prickle of tension. He mobilized his Qi Sense to examine Yeon So-wol thoroughly. He felt only an aura of profound stillness, as if the boy's spirit had been refined a thousand times over.
'...Truly? He attained a state of total sincerity? From a single word? In that mere instant?'
It was hard to believe.
Cultivating the mind was at once the simplest and most arduous task in the world. Though Yu-baek had told him to do so, he hadn't expected the boy to succeed in a single breath. No—even if he did succeed, Yu-baek hadn't imagined he would reach such depths from the very start.
Was it real?
The flow of energy settled around Yeon So-wol in delicate strands. To Yu-baek's senses, it truly seemed the boy's mind had deepened.
'...I'll know once I throw him.'
Suppressing the goosebumps rising on his skin, Lee Yu-baek leaped forward. He seized Yeon So-wol by the waist and hurled him into the air.
Whoosh!
Yeon So-wol was tossed upward, his hair fluttering in the wind. This time, he did not struggle. He let all the strength drain from his body, surrendering himself to the sky as if returning to a long-lost home.
Fwoosh!
Suddenly, a flame ignited within him.
The pulse of scorching Innate True Qi heated his Twelve Standard Meridians and his entire body. The Gathering Fire he had collected through his breathing followed that heat, circulating through his meridians.
He followed the oral formula of the Flying Wind Drift.
Sometimes fierce.
Sometimes warm.
Sometimes subtle.
The flames swirled through his entire being. As he was heated evenly, his bones and flesh grew clear, flickering on the edge of transformation.
A faint scent of sandalwood.
The sound of stones clashing.
Though it did not reach the level Lee Yu-baek had forcibly achieved for him earlier, Yeon So-wol's body was unmistakably undergoing refinement—specifically, in the manner of the Flying Wind Drift.
Immediately, the world changed.
Whoosh!
The texture of the wind brushing against his skin felt entirely different. The wind, which had once been ruthlessly crushed by his body weight, now began to push back and support him.
Yeon So-wol curled his body. The speed of his ascent increased. Riding the wind, cutting through it, he soared.
As he intended.
He could become lighter.
He could become heavier.
Whatever he desired.
"...."
Yeon So-wol suddenly felt as if he might cry.
Up here in the sky, he was no longer powerless. He was no longer a helpless toy being tossed around. In this empty space, he suddenly felt freedom.
The tiled roofs stretched out beneath his feet. The city walls and watchtowers rose at the edge of the black waves of houses. The mountain ridges continued beyond them, and the red sun tilted as if about to slip past their peaks.
Even as he floated high in the air gazing at all of this, his heart did not feel the slightest bit of peril. His body rode the wind lightly.
It was completely different from when Lee Yu-baek had refined his body and thrown him. This time, he had achieved it solely through his own strength.
Something he produced himself.
Something he could control himself.
His own cultivation.
Qinggong.
The "heavy" effort he had accumulated to become "light" now supported him firmly from within. In the wind brushing his cheeks and the pressure swelling against his body, he felt a sense of liberation he had never experienced in his life.
I am...
Flying right now.
"What in the world...?"
What was this? What was happening? Why did it keep turning out like this?
"This world is..."
Yeon So-wol flipped his body, tilting toward the ground. Falling like a raindrop, he flipped again like a falling leaf and landed lightly.
He bent his knees and touched both hands to the ground.
Thump!
The sound was louder than when Lee Yu-baek had thrown him, but the impact was still light. Yeon So-wol remained immersed in the lingering sensation.
Lee Yu-baek was struck with consternation.
'Truly. He did it? Already?'
Mo Cheong whispered from beside him.
"Master. He's already done it."
Lee Yu-baek's lips twitched. He contemplated for a moment. Should he stop here? It was already a tremendous achievement.
But greed took hold of him. He saw Yeon So-wol sitting there quietly, not even showing the joy of his success. He was already in a state of total sincerity. Such moments did not come often.
'Stopping here... would be a waste, wouldn't it?'
He looked back at Mo Cheong. Originally, he hadn't intended to involve Mo Cheong in today's training. He had only brought him along to watch and to take over the training when Yu-baek was busy.
'This won't do.'
He scrapped the plan. It was time to deploy Mo Cheong.
"Mo Cheong."
"Yes, Master."
"Beat him."
"Pardon?"
"Are you questioning me?"
"A-Ah, no, Master."
"He's attached the Fire Phase to his body, so now he must deepen it. Beat him."
"Yes, sir!"
Mo Cheong dashed toward Yeon So-wol, who was still sitting with his eyes closed.
'I'm sorry!'
Shuddering under his master's piercing gaze, Mo Cheong attempted to kick the seated Yeon So-wol in the head.
At that moment—
Yeon So-wol's eyes snapped open, and he threw himself backward.
Whoosh!
Yeon So-wol's body moved as light as a leaf. Both his speed and trajectory were entirely different from before.
"Mo Cheong. What are you doing?"
"Yes! Yes, Master!"
Phew—
White steam billowed from Mo Cheong's mouth.
Tap!
Mo Cheong's movements became rapid as he kicked off the ground. He closed the distance in an instant.
Yeon So-wol muttered to himself.
"I see. You adjust your weight instantaneously."
Heavy when stepping on the ground. Light when pushing off. By varying the Fire Phase to adjust the body's weight in an instant, one could spring forward like a released coil.
Tap!
Yeon So-wol slipped away, evading Mo Cheong's grasp.
"You...!"
Mo Cheong's eyes widened at the absurd achievement, but—
"Mo Cheong."
At the sound of Lee Yu-baek's voice, Mo Cheong's shoulders trembled. He surged his internal power.
"I'm sorry!"
Dash!
Mo Cheong's body shot forward. Rather than a leaf, he was like a bird skimming across the surface of the water. Yeon So-wol failed to react to that speed and took a blow to the chest.
Thwack!
A heavy sound echoed from the palm strike, which was bolstered by immense speed. Yeon So-wol was sent flying, bouncing off the ground three times.
Screeech!
Yeon So-wol sprawled out, leaving a long furrow in the dirt. Only then did Lee Yu-baek speak with satisfaction.
"How is it, So-wol? Does a hit like that snap you back to your senses? That is what we call a shallow Fire Phase. If your fire control breaks just because you took one hit, what kind of martial artist could ever fight? Therefore, your Fire Phase must be deep. Deep enough to maintain it under any circumstances, even if you are on the verge of death. It must be deep."
As he finished his sentence—
"Hoooo...."
A thick cloud of white steam erupted from Yeon So-wol's mouth.
"Hmm?"
Yeon So-wol kicked off the ground lightly and floated back to his feet.
"Ha!"
The corners of Lee Yu-baek's mouth pulled all the way up toward his cheekbones.
"Mo Cheong! Strike him!"
"Yes, yes, sir!"
Boom!
Mo Cheong kicked off the ground again, pursuing Yeon So-wol. Yeon So-wol evaded the pursuit.
His movements were even more varied than before. He leaped onto a wall, sprang off it, and landed on a thick tree branch in a single stride.
With a mind that had become completely one. With a spirit of total concentration.
He looked only at Mo Cheong, dodging again and again. Of course, that didn't mean he could bridge the gap in their actual skill levels.
Bang! Crack! Thud!
Yeon So-wol tried his best to dodge, but he was inevitably struck by Mo Cheong every so often. He was kicked in the stomach, punched in the cheek, struck in the chest with an elbow, and hurled into the dirt.
Yet Yeon So-wol's Flying Wind Drift did not break. He rose lightly and evaded the next attack every time.
Mo Cheong looked back at Lee Yu-baek.
'He's doing incredibly well. Do I keep going?'
But Lee Yu-baek only laughed, fluttering his fan. He was busy marveling to himself.
"Good! Your Fire Phase is already deep! To ensure this remains in your body even after you leave the state of self-oblivion, we must push harder now. Mo Cheong! Give him a sound thrashing!"
"...Yes!"
Mo Cheong gritted his teeth and charged. He decided it would be better to hit harder; that way, he might end up hitting him fewer times overall.
Whoosh!
As Mo Cheong lunged, Yeon So-wol leaped high onto a tree branch.
"I told you that won't work!"
Mo Cheong jumped up after him.
Whoosh!
Yeon So-wol leaped toward the very top of the tree. However—
Wobble!
No matter how light his body had become, the topmost branches were too thin and fragile. The tip of the tree bent sharply under Yeon So-wol's weight.
"It's over now!"
Mo Cheong saw his chance. He threw himself toward Yeon So-wol.
At that moment,
Fwoosh!
Yeon So-wol's Eight Extraordinary Meridians writhed, and the Gathering Fire surged through his Twelve Standard Meridians and Fifteen Collateral Vessels, making his body even lighter. His bones and muscles underwent another level of refinement—becoming clearer, yet without burning or evaporating, reaching a state of perfect balance.
Ping!
With his weight suddenly lightened, the bent tree snapped back into place with a sharp sound. Yeon So-wol used that momentum to accelerate.
Tap!
He leaped from the tip. No—he soared.
Flutter!
"...Huh?"
Having lost Yeon So-wol right before his eyes, Mo Cheong kicked the tree once and landed on the ground. He hurriedly cast his gaze toward the sky.
Flutter, flutter!
Yeon So-wol's robe billowed. Riding the wind, his body drifted gracefully like a single willow leaf. Following the path the wind pushed him, Yeon So-wol crossed through the air.
Tak.
His feet touched the peak of a roof without breaking a single tile. Atop the high roof, Yeon So-wol straightened his back with an air of effortless grace.
"M-Master?"
Mo Cheong looked back. His eyes asked: 'Do I follow him up there and catch him too?'
But Lee Yu-baek wasn't looking at Mo Cheong. For once, he looked completely stunned.
"Does this... make sense? In a single day?"
Hear one, know ten.
Lee Yu-baek had always thought that was an exaggerated rhetorical device. Where could there possibly be a genius who realized ten things after hearing only one?
"Unless he's an immortal fallen from the heavens..."
But there he was, right before his eyes.
*
"Whew..."
Yeon So-wol exhaled a long, white breath. The thrill from a moment ago swept through his entire body—that sensation of riding the wind and soaring into the sky like a bird. That heart that hadn't felt a shred of fear.
'Now... even if I were to fall from the sky like when I first arrived here...'
He felt he wouldn't fall into a panic like he did then. Of course, with his current level of movement techniques, he wouldn't be able to escape death, but—
'Then I would just have to snatch the threads of the heavens again.'
Suddenly, his chest swelled with pride. The realization that he was no longer powerless. The conviction that he would become even freer in the future.
The world seemed a little less terrifying. Bit by bit, he was acquiring the strength to shake off and evade whatever unfairness the world threw at him.
Yeon So-wol raised his head.
"Ah."
Sinheung County unfolded before his eyes under the setting sun. The black tiles of every roof glowed red, and the swaying curves of the eaves stretched far away toward the mountain ridges. The sun was half-buried beneath the peaks, and inside the reddened city walls, smoke rose from cooking fires.
Yeon So-wol lost track of time. Soon, he even forgot where he was. He stared blankly, feeling an impulse to dive headlong into the scenery.
Tak!
Then, he heard the sound of a footstep behind him.
"You flew."
"I was lucky."
"Luck, my foot."
When Yeon So-wol glanced back, something came flying toward him. He caught it in the air; it was a small cup that fit perfectly in one hand. The exterior was black, but the inside was coated with gold dust that shimmered in the light.
Lee Yu-baek shook a wine bottle.
"Let's have a drink."
As Yeon So-wol approached and politely held out his cup, red wine flowed from the tilted bottle.
"It's Jade Crown Red. A fruit wine brewed from lychees. The flesh of a lychee is as white as ice, but if you brew it with plenty of its red skin, you get a wine like this."
The sunset was fading, but a red sun rose again within the golden cup.
"Drink."
Yeon So-wol swallowed that dawn. The first alcohol he had ever tasted was bitter. It was hot—incredibly hot—but then it suddenly turned fragrant at the end.
It was fragrant.
"How is it?"
"It was... my first time."
"Fragrant, isn't it?"
"...Yes."
Now, and a moment ago.
"That's how it is. There is no wine in this world that is only bitter."
Yeon So-wol quietly held out both hands.
"This time, I will pour."
"Go ahead."
He filled Lee Yu-baek's cup to the brim. Lee Yu-baek tilted his head back and swallowed it in one gulp.
"Ah! The wine tastes good! Truly good. Here, take another."
"Yes."
One cup, two cups, three cups. Bound by loyalty, the master and disciple shared their drinks. After emptying the last cup, Lee Yu-baek spoke.
"Let's take the elixir tomorrow."
Yeon So-wol was startled.
"Have I reached the First Stage?"
He had thought it would take at least a few days. Just as he was feeling joy at his faster-than-expected achievement, Lee Yu-baek spoke casually. Without even looking back, he lifted the bottle and drained the last drop.
"It's the Third Stage."
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