Chapter 166: The Boundary of the Upper World (1)

Before leaving the Namgung Clan, I met many people to bid farewell.

First, I spent half a day just greeting the head of the Namgung Clan and several elders.

They treated me as if I were destined to become their son-in-law, showering me with all kinds of gifts.

To refuse their follow-up remarks, which always began with ‘Would you like to meet my daughter?’, I had to break out in cold sweat.

There was even an elder who brought his daughter along in person.

Thanks to Namgung Yoo stepping in appropriately every time I was in an awkward situation, I managed to escape without much trouble.

It seemed that gaining fame really changed the way people treated me.

Lastly, I visited Namgung Bi.

Namgung Bi smiled as soon as he saw me.

“Hahaha, it seems you’ve made progress again.”

Namgung Bi could tell just from my aura that I had reached a new level.

“How did you know? Can such things really be discerned just by one’s aura?”

There were rumors in the martial world that masters could read someone’s level through their aura, but in truth, such claims sounded rather absurd.

There were countless types of martial arts, and internal cultivation methods varied by school. Reading one’s level through aura alone was not as simple as it seemed.

At best, those who had reached the realm of transcendence could vaguely sense whether someone was first-rate, peak, or master level, but they could never determine the exact stage.

“Hahaha, when you reach my age, you come to sense certain things. With that, you can faintly glimpse a person’s level. Would you like to hear it?”

Namgung Bi’s tone was as gentle as if he were speaking to his own grandson.

He had heard that I had played a major role in minimizing the damage during the Namgung Clan’s recent disaster, and he felt grateful deep inside.

Because of that, he felt compelled to teach me something more.

“Though we are martial artists, not everything should be considered solely through martial principles. Martial arts are ultimately just a part of the world. Martial arts include teachings from Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. If you view them with bias, you’ll never see their true essence. Do you know why Zhuge Liang was considered wiser than others? Although his intellect was exceptional, do you really think no one had a sharper mind than he did? Then why was there no one who could match Zhuge Liang’s wisdom and insight?”

The unexpected topic piqued my curiosity.

I felt that there was a realization hidden within these words.

“Because he saw the world differently.”

“Exactly. But how was his view different?”

Namgung Bi’s question prompted me to think deeper.

But it was a topic I had never considered, leaving me momentarily speechless.

Namgung Bi watched me with a warm smile.

“Zhuge Liang was able to perceive the world through the method of Observing the Broad Outline. The world is vast and expansive. If you view such a world narrowly, how could you possibly see the whole picture? The saying ‘Don’t just see the trees, see the forest’ comes from that very idea.”

Observing the Broad Outline literally meant ‘observing the general outline’, but in truth, it referred to having the insight to grasp the essence.

It was also a term used in Confucianism, making it seem unrelated to martial arts.

“Hahaha, perhaps my words are too difficult.”

Seeing that I seemed to struggle to understand, Namgung Bi continued.

“Look around you. What do you see?”

I glanced around.

Namgung Bi’s residence, located within the Namgung Clan’s large estate, reminded one of a serene countryside retreat.

For that reason, the Namgung Clan called this place Mountain Wave Garden.

It meant ‘a garden that feels like great mountains undulating in waves’, and I thought it was a fitting name.

In fact, when Namgung Bi had once displayed the realm of gentleness, I had felt as if great mountains were indeed rippling.

I was seated in the pavilion at the center of Akunwon. Small mountain birds perched on the railing, preening their feathers, and butterflies flitted among the nearby flowers.

To anyone looking, it would seem no different from a peaceful mountain scene.

However, this time, I noticed something different.

Squirrels and a few wild animals were moving about nearby.

“Do you understand now?”

“I see animals and birds I didn’t notice before.”

Namgung Bi, still smiling enigmatically, spoke again.

“That’s right. Isn’t that strange?”

I realized what Namgung Bi was trying to ask.

“Ah! I think I understand now. Those birds and animals are near me without being aware of my presence.”

Namgung Bi nodded.

“Exactly. Those creatures were here when you visited before as well. But they sensed your presence and hid themselves back then. Yet now, they remain even though you are nearby. Why do you think that is?”

“Though it feels a bit embarrassing to say it myself, I think… I’ve become a little closer to nature.”

Namgung Bi placed the cooled teacup on his palm.

After a moment, steam began to rise from the cold cup.

He took a sip after warming it with his qi and set it down again.

“You could say that. Wild creatures like those are naturally wary of external energies. It’s instinct. But you have grown so similar to nature itself that you’ve even broken down their instinctive wariness. Yet, notice that those birds and animals do not come right up to you. That’s because you are still not truly one with nature.”

I suddenly remembered the moment when I had awakened the Yin-Yang Realm of the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra and was about to step through the threshold of internal and external realms. Unfortunately, I had been forced to break my meditation due to Seok Unjeong’s scream.

‘Could that threshold be the realm of becoming one with nature that the elder is speaking of?’

That thought deepened my meditation even further.

Seeing me enter a meditative state in an instant, Namgung Bi sighed.

“Hahaha, what an exceptional child. How can one find such profound enlightenment from a single word of mine?”

Yet another sigh escaped him.

“How regrettable. If only this child carried the blood of Namgung… I might have seen our clan standing shoulder to shoulder with Wudang or Mount Hua before I die.”

Though he had long abandoned worldly desires, seeing talent like mine made him greedy once again.

“I now understand why Confucius considered teaching an exceptional disciple one of the three great joys of life.”

Teaching was truly rewarding when one not only learned but gained even deeper realizations.

I awoke after about two hours.

Namgung Bi asked as I woke sooner than he had expected.

“What did you gain?”

I answered with slight disappointment.

“My enlightenment is still shallow. I couldn’t fully comprehend what you shared. But I feel I’ve grasped at least a little about the essence of naturalness.”

Seeing the obvious disappointment on my face, Namgung Bi tried to comfort me.

“Even that puts you on a level higher than anyone else. Do not feel too disappointed. At your age, I hadn’t even attained half of what you’ve just felt.”

“With all due respect, what do you think I am still lacking, Elder?”

When I asked so bluntly that it might even seem impudent, Namgung Bi let out a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha, you seem anxious. But how could such a thing be explained with mere words? True understanding must be realized with the heart, must it not?”

I blushed with embarrassment.

After having spoken as if I were the one giving lessons to Jegal Cheongyeong, I now felt like crawling into a hole out of shame for asking such a foolish question.

“You’re asking me to lay everything bare for you, and yet I don’t find it the least bit annoying. I suppose that’s your fortune.”

Namgung Bi placed some bird feed on his palm and raised his hand.

Surprisingly, a mountain bird landed on Namgung Bi’s palm and pecked at the feed.

It wasn’t even a pet bird, yet it showed no fear of humans whatsoever.

“I have managed to reach no more than this level. But I believe you can surpass me.”

Though some might scoff at the idea that making a bird sit on one’s palm was some kind of lofty realm, anyone who had even lightly tasted the essence of martial understanding would find it utterly astonishing.

That bird remained because it no longer saw Namgung Bi as a human, but as part of nature itself.

Realizing that, my body stiffened.

“I have named this realm The Boundary of the Upper World.”

It was like how I had named the second stage of my martial insight The Flowing Stream Realm.

Martial insight was a personal realization, and because that realization differed from person to person, it couldn’t be strictly defined.

In contrast, realms such as those of martial arts or sword qi could be clearly named, since they were stages that all martial artists had to pass through.

Terms like first-rate, peak, master, or the stages of sword qi—Qi Light, Qi Name, and Qi Thought—were all defined in this way.

Because everyone had to pass through these stages, names were created to define them.

However, martial insight belonged to the world of personal realization. Since the stages, depth, and level of understanding varied greatly, defining them with a single word was nonsensical.

I quietly asked.

“Elder, that bird does not recognize you as a human, but as a tree or part of nature itself. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to name such a realm Harmony or Nature?”

Namgung Bi looked at me with pleased eyes.

“You’re giving me too much credit. If I were to claim that I had reached the realm of true harmony or nature, those who know me would scold me for being absurd. I am merely imitating those things. That is why I called it Sang (Image), meaning ‘to resemble’. It means that although I resemble nature, I have not yet reached the supreme realm of true nature.”

“Ah!”

The term The Boundary of the Upper World contained Namgung Bi’s humility and the true essence of harmony.

To call it ‘the boundary of resemblance’ seemed to perfectly express the nature of this realm.

“In all my life, reaching this The Boundary of the Upper World is all I have achieved. I can’t even guarantee that there is a realm beyond this. If there is, I hope you will let me know someday. Could you do that?”

“How could I possibly catch even a glimpse of such a realm?”

“Hahaha, you can. I believe Yoo-ah will one day surpass my level, but you seem even faster.”

“By Yoo-ah, do you mean Lady Namgung Yoo?”

“You know Yu-ah as well?”

“Yes, we are acquainted.”

“Indeed, Yoo-ah is a child who understands what I say. I have placed my hopes on that child.”

Saying that, Namgung Bi glanced at me meaningfully.

“I hope you’ll help her.”

“If there’s anything I can do, I will help. No matter what it is.”

Speaking with sincerity, I saw Namgung Bi’s lips curl into a smile.

“After living this long, I’ve come to value loyalty above all else. You may not have many other qualities, but you certainly seem to have loyalty. That’s why I’ve been laying all my cards on the table. A person with loyalty is never a traitor.”

“Thank you for thinking so highly of me.”

“If only the martial world had more people like you, it would be overflowing with loyalty. These days, there are too many cunning types, and I don’t care much for them.”

I spoke to Namgung Bi, who now felt more like a grandfather to me.

“May I also use the term The Boundary of the Upper World?”

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