Chapter 34: To The Azure Forest (3)

Tranquil Sword Neung Ji-pyeong.

The nickname, meaning “a single sword in tranquility,” was given before he entrusted himself to the Baek Clan.

His martial arts sect, the Shadowless Sword Pavilion, was ruined overnight. It all happened because of the senior disciple Shadowless Thief.

What a pathetic senior. Overflowing with talent in martial arts, he was called the hope of the Shadowless Sword Pavilion, but all he did was petty thievery. It was a problem that he tarnished the sect’s reputation, and he eventually crossed the line.

He stole the secret techniques of the Wudang Sect. Not just any, but the peerless secret techniques left by Zhang Sanfeng, the Founder of the Wudang Sect. Enraged, the Taoists destroyed his dantian and cut off his vessels.

From then on, the downfall of the Shadowless Sword Pavilion was set in stone.

Although the Wudang Sect did not storm in with swords, they, being one of the Nine Sects One Gang, had no intention of leaving a thief’s sect alone.

The Murim Alliance stripped the Shadowless Sword Pavilion of its allies, and all sects it had formed friendships with turned their backs on them. There were no new recruits, and even the disciples began to flee one after another.

Crucially, the Unorthodox Murim and the demon cultists attacked.

They demanded the secret techniques stolen from the Wudang Sect. No matter how much they tried to say that the Shadowless Thief had nothing to do with the sword pavilion, it was useless.

Because of the non-existent secret techniques, the Shadowless Sword Pavilion crumbled.

Young Neung Ji-pyeong also had to leave the sect, watching his dying master.

“The sword pavilion has collapsed, but it has not disappeared. Someday, the world’s persecution will also end. Until then, endure with your life.”

Neung Ji-pyeong shed tears of blood as he listened to the dying words.

“Do not think of rebuilding the sect. The Wudang Sect will not stand idly by. Just ensure that the swordsmanship is not forgotten. Seek a successor.”

“I will.”

Neung Ji-pyeong wandered the Jianghu aimlessly.

However, following his master’s dying words was a perilous task. The Wudang Sect did not pursue the departing Neung Ji-pyeong, but the unorthodox martial artists and the demon cultists were different.

The pursuit continued, with the belief that Neung Ji-pyeong, the best disciple and the rising star of the Shadowless Sword Pavilion, had the secret techniques.

Cut and slashed, becoming a bloodied mess, Neung Ji-pyeong survived. He also earned his nickname, Tranquil Sword, during that time.

But with blades flashing at every step, he could not run forever. Eventually, at the foot of Mount Kangshan, Neung Ji-pyeong vomited blood and collapsed.

Perhaps, if he had not met the Iron-blooded Merciless Baek Ryu-san, Neung Ji-pyeong would have turned into an old corpse right there.

“Cough, huh. Don’t waste your effort,” Neung Ji-pyeong said, smirking at Baek Ryu-san, who was wiping off his blood.

“…What do you mean?”

“The Wudang Sect’s secret techniques.”

Among those who were after Neung Ji-pyeong, there were orthodox factions too. Everyone who was a swordsman would covet Zhang Sanfeng’s secret techniques. He had countless instances of being stabbed in the back by those pretending to help him.

He thought Baek Ryu-san, who was appointed as the Clan Head of the Baek Clan, would be no different.

“I’ve already burned the secret techniques. It’s in my head, but I will never tell,” Neung Ji-pyeong said, tapping his forehead lightly.

It was a lie. There were no secret techniques, but he had spoken out of sheer defiance. He was going to die anyway at this rate.

However, he never expected a smirk to form on Baek Ryu-san’s cold face.

“I don’t need such things.”

Seeing that arrogant smile, he could not consider it an empty boast.

“Holding both Heaven’s Shadow Sword and Immortal Divine Art in my hands, what significance does the Wudang Sect’s swordsmanship have? I merely intervened because the attacks were unreasonably coordinated.”

Neung Ji-pyeong could not help but gape.

That was the pride of a truly prestigious clan.

Somehow, owing his life to Baek Ryu-san, Neung Ji-pyeong was moved by him.

Thus, it had been quite some time since he had entrusted himself to the Baek Clan and began working under Baek Ryu-san, who became the Clan Head. He became the Squad Leader of the Biyeon Squad and even took on the role of instructing Baek Ha-jun, who greatly resembled Baek Ryu-san.

And as time passed, now—

Neung Ji-pyeong found himself teaching the secret techniques of the Shadowless Sword Pavilion to Yi-gang, who was born with the Great Yin Meridian Blockage.

‘Passing on Shadowless Splendor to Young Master Ha-jun was a failure.’

He had tried with the Clan Head’s permission. But it had not gone well.

Just like his father, Baek Ha-jun believed it was sufficient to learn the martial arts of the Baek Clan.

It was not just a lack of enthusiasm that was the problem. There was more to it, a matter of aptitude.

‘To learn Shadowless Splendor, one must be born with it. A sharp sense. The concentration to grasp all the surrounding conditions and variables. And also…’

Though it was called a secret technique of the Shadowless Sword Pavilion, strictly speaking, Shadowless Splendor was not a sword technique.

If one had to categorize Shadowless Splendor, it would be a taijutsu. However, it was not a martial art that required robust physical strength or profound internal energy.

There was something more essential.

‘My master said that to master Shadowless Splendor, your brain must be open.’

He still did not fully understand what it meant for the brain to be open. It might be related to the upper dantian he had only heard about in stories.

In that respect, Baek Ha-jun, a genius of martial arts, lacked the qualities for Shadowless Splendor.

It was not Ha-jun’s fault. Neung Ji-pyeong, and even his master, had not achieved mastery in Shadowless Splendor. The derivative sword style of Shadowless Splendor he showed to Yi-gang was also not proper.

Neung Ji-pyeong had only imitated it with his trained body and internal energy. That was why he sweated from just one demonstration.

And now, Yi-gang was imitating the incomplete Shadowless Splendor that Neung Ji-pyeong had presented.

“Is this how it’s done?”

“There are no shortcuts. It’s just about paying attention to numerous things simultaneously. Running forward while taking down the enemies at your side, while at the same time watching your back, so to speak.”

Shadowless Splendor was not something you could learn by memorizing movements or training its form.

“Feeling the sword of the opponent standing behind you, feeling his breath. The essence of this sword technique is even feeling the scattering leaves around you.”

“Is all that necessary for a sword technique?”

“Ah… well, yes. Anyway. You have to think of seeing the unseen behind you.”

Even as he said this, Neung Ji-pyeong thought that Yi-gang would be dissatisfied.

Watching your back, indeed. It was like a wild goose chase.

To someone who had learned the martial arts of the Baek Clan, such talk of refining one’s way might not have been relatable.

“Cutting a ghost or making one’s soft body as hard as metal seems easier than this.”

“Pardon?”

“No, nothing. Let’s just give it a try.”

Contrary to Neung Ji-pyeong’s expectations, Yi-gang readily nodded. He then turned around and quietly focused his mind.

Neung Ji-pyeong would not know, but this kind of training was very familiar to Yi-gang.

‘It’s similar to the essence of the Great Yin Flow?’

「Hmm! It’s crude compared to the complete Great Yin Flow. But it seems like a martial art aimed at achieving spiritual power.」

The Immortal Divine Sword also knew this for certain.

This was definitely not something akin to a mere basic technique.

「Give it a try. Touching the untouchable, feeling the invisible.」

Following the Immortal Divine Sword’s advice, Yi-gang slightly closed his eyes.

After all, you cannot see behind you even with your eyes open. It was better to close them and concentrate.

Behind him, Neung Ji-pyeong was standing with an apple in his hand.

“Then, I’m going to throw it.”

The basis of Shadowless Splendor was about sharpening one’s senses. To the point of being able to detect an object thrown at you from behind.

Neung Ji-pyeong hesitated for a moment, then lightly threw the apple.

It was an action repeated well over 100 times already.

Up until now, Yi-gang had not succeeded even once. However, he neither grew bored nor gave up.

“…Hup!”

Surprisingly, Yi-gang turned his body just in time.

Thanks to that, the apple hit him in the face instead of the back of his head.

“Ugh!”

Yi-gang clenched his nose. It was painful.

“It’s not easy.”

“Yes, it’s not a simple task.”

Neung Ji-pyeong was not disappointed. Naturally, it was not something that could be achieved in just a day.

First and foremost, it was crucial to focus on senses other than sight.

Firstly, a keen sense of hearing that could detect the rustling sound the moment it leaves the hand; secondly, the sense of touch that feels the vibration in the air; and thirdly, the sense of smell that could catch the slightest change in odor.

In the end, it was necessary to concentrate all nerves to vividly feel what was behind with a sixth sense, not just the five senses.

It was already an impressive feat to accurately perceive the exact moment Neung Ji-pyeong threw the apple while still unable to properly swing a sword.

Yi-gang threw a joke with a gentle smile, “Well, if I expected to grasp the essence of the Shadowless Sword Pavilion’s divine art quickly, that would indeed be too presumptuous, wouldn’t it? Haha.”

“Hahaha. That’s right. It took me so long to get this far…”

Neung Ji-pyeong laughed along with Yi-gang.

However, his smile soon froze. It was because Yi-gang was wearing a sinister expression.

Neung Ji-pyeong realized he had made a mistake.

“What’s the name of the martial art, Squad Leader Neung?”

“…”

“Every divine art that’s not a basic technique has a name, doesn’t it?”

He had been led into a confession.

“It’s Shadowless Splendor…”

“So, there’s no shadow in the light. How unique.”

Neung Ji-pyeong blamed himself for being completely taken in by Yi-gang.

“Why did you insist on hiding it as a basic technique? It seems like an extraordinary martial art.”

“It’s a martial art that hasn’t received recognition in the world. I intended to properly pass it on after you showed interest and received permission from the Clan Head.”

He did not specifically mention that this was only after he had judged Yi-gang to have the aptitude to learn Shadowless Splendor.

Neung Ji-pyeong had his hand on his face, mortified.

Yi-gang spoke, fiddling with his ears.

“I, well, I already have trouble hearing, and now you’re covering your mouth, so I couldn’t hear what you said.”

“Pardon?”

Neung Ji-pyeong, who had not properly understood Yi-gang’s words, removed his hands from his face and asked.

Yi-gang took something out of both ears. It was a wad of cotton, twisted up tight.

“You asked me to catch the flying apples without seeing or hearing, so I blocked my ears. It’s certainly not easy.”

“Wh-when did you start blocking your ears?”

Neung Ji-pyeong stammered, shocked.

“From the first time you threw an apple. Didn’t you know?”

“Then how have you been conversing with me? How could you, when you can’t hear…”

“Pardon? Can’t you understand by looking at the shape of the mouth?”

“Reading lips? No, that can’t be.”

Yi-gang said he had conversed by reading Neung Ji-pyeong’s lip movements. There was no way he could have learned lip-reading, and could such a skill be explained simply by being smart?

But there was something even more unbelievable.

“Then how did you catch the apple…”

He was talking about noticing an apple thrown from behind without seeing or hearing. And today was the first day of his training.

“Wasn’t it you, Squad Leader Neung, who said I had to?”

Faced with Yi-gang’s retort, Neung Ji-pyeong lost his words.

A chill ran down his spine.

He had long known that, if not for the Great Yin Meridian Blockage, Yi-gang would have been hailed as a genius no less than Baek Ha-jun.

But this was…

‘Is he a different kind? A completely different kind of genius compared to Young Master Ha-jun?’

With such astonishment, Neung Ji-pyeong felt elation.

Detecting presence solely with one’s sixth sense, blocking all the other five, was a step much further in the training.

If Yi-gang, who had somewhat succeeded in this, could indeed master Shadowless Splendor, he did not know what heights he might reach.

“Then, this time, let’s try again without the earplugs!”

It was the moment Neung Ji-pyeong, increasingly excited, was about to urge the training of Shadowless Splendor.

“Excuse me, Yi-gang.”

Jin Ri-yeon appeared on the wooden porch and called Yi-gang.

“Oh, yes.”

“The decoction is ready, but it seems you need to come quickly.”

“It’s done already!”

Yi-gang had received the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb from his uncle.

Before leaving, Yi-gang personally gathered the medicinal ingredients that would harmonize with the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb in the medicinal room, and began making the decoction with Jin Ri-yeon.

Jin Ri-yeon was not just knowledgeable in martial arts. True to her origins from the Azure Forest, known for their Taoist teachings, she was also skilled in alchemy, the art of producing elixirs.

“Then, let’s continue the training tomorrow.”

Neung Ji-pyeong, too, had noticed the clear, refreshing scent of the decoction floating in the air.

“Understood…”

Despite his regretful expression, Yi-gang followed Jin Ri-yeon without hesitation.

The harmony of exercise, nutrition, and rest was indeed crucial.

Especially Yi-gang, who had a weak constitution, was the type to go crazy for a good elixir.

‘The scent is phenomenal, isn’t it?’

「I thought a child of the Azure Forest would be proficient in alchemy.」

In the meantime, he had completely forgotten about Neung Ji-pyeong and Shadowless Splendor.

Jin Ri-yeon hurried Yi-gang.

“Let’s go quickly.”

“Is there a problem?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

What could have happened while brewing the decoction? His question was immediately answered upon arriving at the backyard.

There, the Biyeon Squad members were brandishing their swords, guarding the decoction.

“Shoo, shoo!”

“Back off, you brutes!”

Unexpectedly, it was not thieves targeting the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb that had stormed in.

“Woof, woof!”

“Meow- meow-!”

Around the decoction, stray dogs and feral cats had gathered in great numbers. The sight of them drooling and greedily eyeing the decoction was far from ordinary.

“What, what is this?”

“It seems they’ve come smelling the decoction.”

The Purple Spirit Phantom Herb seemed to emit a scent that attracted beasts. Yi-gang quickly helped the Biyeon Squad members chase away the animals.

「Now that I think about it, there was a reason why the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb only grows on cliffs. When the flowers bloom, all the nearby beasts are drawn to it.」

‘Ah, so the wild boars last night too…’

「That might be the case.」

‘You should have mentioned this earlier.’

「Hmm, when one knows too much, it’s common to forget the trivialities.」

Yi-gang, carrying the decoction, hastily fled indoors, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

If the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb attracts beasts, then perhaps…

‘So… Could it be that the beast called the great tiger is also drawn by the scent of this Purple Spirit Phantom Herb?’

「It’s possible. They say tigers can detect the scent of their prey from ten li away.」

Ten li would be five kilometers, and there were still two roots of the Purple Spirit Phantom Herb left.

Yi-gang lost his appetite for a moment.

Upon reflection, it might not be such a bad situation.

‘Could there possibly be benefits from that tiger? If it’s being called not just a tiger, but a great tiger, there must be a reason.’

Yi-gang’s obsession with elixirs was beyond imagination.

「…Are you alright with being mauled to death while trying to obtain its benefits?」

The Immortal Divine Sword burst into a hearty laugh.

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