Chapter 10

Entry (2)

"Sure. I'm good at sensing the wind."

The man smiled. He wore a blue hood, and his eyes were even bluer.

"Even a ten-year-old's Three Disasters Sword Technique has a sword wind. I can tell how and with what feeling the sword is wielded. In Mahwangyi, there's a friend named Baemiryeo whose sword skills are overflowing with talent. You should definitely receive guidance from her. She's very intuitive."

"Let's try it."

Jeong Yeonshin didn't ask any more questions.

As he circulated his inner energy on the spot, his clothes began to flutter slightly.

Amid the interested gazes of the Mahwangyi martial artists, the function of Jeong Yeonshin's Jinggadonggong began to manifest throughout his body.

"It's called Qingming. I was born and raised here in Yangyang."

"Shinya, I'm Jeong Yeonshin."

"Ah, such a place exists."

Qingming smiled lightly. His aura was as clear as his name. Jeong Yeonshin reached for the sword provided by the Iphwang City.

Iphwang Sword. It was a superior quality compared to the iron sword he used to use, and the sound of the sword was so clear and loud that Hyun Wonchang from the next room rushed in.

'Rumor has it that there's a small iron clan forge here.'

If the rumor is true, it's natural that the quality of the basic swords provided is so good.

Unlike the famous clans known for their beauty and strength, the iron clan, though not much is known about them, is said to have unparalleled forging skills.

"I'm going."

"Sure. I heard your fast sword technique is excellent. Let me see it once."

"Alright."

The familiar tremor from the sword he had practiced for a week started from the hand holding the sword.

Before Qingming drew his sword, Jeong Yeonshin saw the calloused hands like armor on his two hands.

The firm muscles visible through the sleeves and his upright posture testified to his high martial prowess.

His gaze, which seemed to pierce through his mind, was overwhelmingly intimidating.

'Don't worry. This is a place to show your skills.'

He erased everything. Jeong Yeonshin left only Qingming's breathing in his senses. Inhale, exhale very slowly.

'Now.'

The energy that should have flowed to his left foot instead overlapped and flowed to the opposite side. A thud sounded.

With a single leap from his right foot's Shijigyeong, Qingming's upper body came into view, almost within reach.

He shattered the ground he was standing on and drew the Iphwang Sword.

The five steps of distance were cut and scattered with a single sword draw.

He explosively released his contracted muscles and inner energy, continuing the fast sword technique's strikes.

A sound like swimming through a typhoon beat his ears like a drum, and his lower abdomen tingled.

Having obtained the sword's resonance, he had changed again. It was a sensation he could fully feel.

Bang!

He collided with an overwhelming sword force. Seeing an opening in his side, he moved in, but his vision suddenly turned white.

As his body was flung back, a tremendous shock traveled up his arm from his grip.

He didn't know when he had raised his sword.

'Still, better than expected...'

Just before he was about to fly, he concentrated his energy on the Liangqiu, Xuehai, and Xiyangguan points of his right knee.

The muscles on both sides of his knee twitched like a predator's, and his right foot planted itself on the training ground floor.

At the same time, he exploded his energy from the Yongquan point on his heel.

Crack! Whoosh!

'I can do this.'

His body spun half a turn around his right foot, instead taking control of the rear corner.

At the end of the Iphwang Sword's arc, which drew a semicircle with his body, was Qingming's sternocleidomastoid muscle.

Behind the sound of slicing the air like a curtain, Qingming's entire body suddenly twitched.

His body seemed to blur, and in an instant, his vision turned stark white again.

Qingming's sword was getting closer.

Whoosh!

'The Entangling Silk Technique, I rotated properly.'

He didn't see it.

The sword in his grip hummed, sensing the air's texture.

Qingming's words about sensing the wind had inspired him, and at this moment, it was advancing the realm of sword and body as one.

Clang!

With a sound like a gong, the energy-filled force scattered in all directions, tearing his clothes.

His arm was violently thrown upward.

It was a tremendous collision of power, and he was amazed that he hadn't dropped the sword.

Huff!

He fell backward as if lying down. It was the technique of the Iron Plate Bridge.

Thanks to his right foot planted on the ground, it was easy to execute.

A white sword blade narrowly grazed his nose.

The hair that didn't have time to fall was cut off, sending a chill down his spine.

Jeong Yeonshin pulled his foot out of the ground and kicked.

With a feint kick, anticipating the evasion, and a somersault in the air, he landed on the ground.

He immediately grabbed his sword and stared at Qingming with a transparent gaze.

Feeling something caught on the raised foot, he realized the hood had come off.

'So, he's a famous clan after all.'

The pointed ears and golden hair were something a Han person couldn't have.

Having seen many famous clans recently, Jeong Yeonshin thought nothing of it and adjusted his grip on the sword.

'Next, I'll apply Shijigyeong to the Iphwang Sword... huh?'

Completely absorbed, he suddenly realized the surroundings were filled with silence.

Even Qingming, a formidable opponent, looked bewildered as he stared at him.

Everyone in the hall was looking at Jeong Yeonshin with shocked expressions.

In any case, Qingming's identity didn't seem to be a secret.

"..."

Though he didn't understand what was happening, he felt the atmosphere wasn't right to continue the sparring.

Carefully putting away the new sword as if he had just used it, Jeong Yeonshin asked out of curiosity.

"How was I? You said you were looking for talent."

"..."

"I know you gave me a few moves. Please be honest."

"Uh..."

The Mahwangyi experts, who had faced the Plum Sword Masters, and even Qingming, who had exchanged swords with the Southern Palace's top swordsman, seemed to have forgotten how to speak.

They just stared at Jeong Yeonshin. After a while, Ma Jin, his scar twisting, spoke.

"You, how old did you say you were?"

"Fifteen. Is that important? In martial arts, only current achievements matter, not age."

Jeong Yeonshin frowned in response. What was the point of asking about age when he was about to be cut short?

But no one seemed to hear Jeong Yeonshin's last words.

Starting with Qingming, who suddenly threw his sword, the Mahwangyi martial artists began to speak one by one.

It was an unbelievable scene.

"He's a monster."

"No, it's a mistake of heaven."

"I've been to the Dragon Phoenix Assembly, and I've never seen anything like this. Even if someone had practiced the Sensory Path from birth, they wouldn't be this good."

"In our city, I was the greatest talent."

"Great talent, my ass."

Ma Jin didn't bother to quiet them and gestured to Hyun Wonchang.

"Next. Hyun Wonchang, you're from Shanxi."

"Me? Now?"

"Stand up. I'll watch you."

No one in Mahwangyi paid attention to Hyun Wonchang's sparring, which looked like a funeral.

Only Jeong Yeonshin, who was paired with him, watched to see if there was anything to learn.

* * *

"Mahwang Jue is a martial art that doesn't discriminate against weapons."

Ma Jin, who had just returned from a mission a few days ago, immediately began teaching.

It was common to spend months on missions across the vast Central Plains, so at least a month of rest was guaranteed after returning.

Jeong Yeonshin began learning Mahwang Jue from Iphwang City with Hyun Wonchang.

For him, it was the first time to learn a proper technique.

"Swords, knives, spears, fists, palms, hands, feet, axes, staffs, whips. Mahwang Jue doesn't discriminate against any of the numerous secret weapons. If you master it properly, that is."

"How is that possible? Then, there would be no need for sword schools to practice swords."

Hyun Wonchang, with his eyes swollen blue, asked.

Ma Jin, who seemed to be the most open-minded teacher in the world when it came to teaching, answered all questions patiently.

"The principles are different. Mahwang Jue is a method of using the body. It's a comprehensive study of what a person's hands and feet can do. It covers everything from close-range bare-handed combat to medium and long-range spear techniques, except for the bow."

And he added,

"Therefore, it's shallow. Hyun Wonchang. Compared to a sword school that focuses solely on sword techniques, it can't match the depth of the sword. But we are not Wudang Taoists who hold a single Songwen Ancient Sword and spin it alone for enlightenment."

'He can even talk about Wudang's Tai Chi Sword like that.'

Jeong Yeonshin, thinking it was a sword technique he wanted to see someday, listened intently.

"Our Iphwang City's martial arts are always in fierce battles. Even solo missions should be considered as fierce battles. A fight is a collection of variables! Will you insist on using a sword even if your stance collapses from a misstep? By mastering Mahwang Jue, you won't hesitate to discard the sword at that moment. The difference in choices increases the chances of survival."

Ma Jin glanced at Jeong Yeonshin.

He seemed to be thinking about the kick that had blown off Qingming's hood.

On the contrary, Jeong Yeonshin recalled Qingming, who had thrown his sword after the sparring ended.

"Ah... Indeed."

The already moved Iphwang Shinhyeok sighed in admiration.

Ma Jin, glancing at him sitting beside Jeong Yeonshin, had a peculiar look in his eyes.

"However, Mahwang Jue is a martial art that requires innate adaptability and insight.

If you lack these two, you must make efforts to engrave them in your body. But don't worry."

He lifted the scar below his lips and continued.

"That's our role, mine and Mahwangyi's. The fact that you passed the Iphwang Test itself verifies your potential. If you follow well, you will be able to join us on the next mission."

And Hyun Wonchang's ordeal began.

* * *

"Ugh... Ugh..."

The next day, a body similar to a corpse stood motionless in the Mahwangyi training ground.

It seemed that the words about engraving in the body were not an exaggeration. Ma Jin taught the principles of Mahwang Jue and demonstrated a sparring-like practice of Mahwang Jue on Hyun Wonchang's body.

"My Mahwang Jue bare-handed combat is precise. I know you can move. Not collapsing is praiseworthy. Recreate it and achieve your goal."

Ma Jin, speaking indifferently to Hyun Wonchang, turned to Jeong Yeonshin.

Compared to Hyun Wonchang, he looked completely unharmed, with a black Iphwang Sword at his waist and his white martial uniform fluttering in the wind.

Despite his youthful appearance, his aura was already that of a martial artist of Iphwang City.

"You're done. Did you grasp the core of the principles?"

"Rongtong Wu'ai (Flexibility and Adaptability)."

"Right. The body has a way to move in any situation. The flow of techniques is continuous and unobstructed, which is the true essence of Mahwang. Insight, creativity, and adaptability. If you fully understand the principles, now you must grasp the essence of the techniques."

"The essence of the techniques?"

"Words can't convey it. You must see it for yourself."

Ma Jin stood in front of a brick tower in one corner of the training ground.

It was rare for Iphwang City members to use wood.

Since the city was built of stone, considering the city lord, a famous clan, setting up a wooden training post was impossible.

"Watch."

Suddenly, a powerful aura enveloped Ma Jin's body and then quickly disappeared.

It seemed to show that he had completely relaxed his strength.

He extended a straight punch, and his calloused fist struck one side of the tower.

Thud!

It was unclear how much he had trained his external skills to produce such a dull sound.

At the same time, the brick tower crumbled.

"The optimal moment and the best strike. The technique is the trajectory that draws this. Following the perfect technique results in the ultimate strike. It can also be considered the realm of Anfa, but what I want to convey is a different principle. Anfa is about seeing the opponent's attack. But the technique you draw starts from the realm of instinct. There's no need to see your own attack."

Ma Jin didn't even shake his hand, turning to Jeong Yeonshin. Jeong Yeonshin, looking at the tower's remains, thought,

'The servants must be having a hard time.'

Considering the wages of Iphwang City's servants, he quickly dismissed the thought.

'This is about using the body at the right moment.'

It meant to capture the moment and place to release power.

Jeong Yeonshin, who had instantly grasped the essence, relaxed his hands.

"This is a realm of practice. You can't achieve it just by seeing it once. The more you practice, the more you instinctively find the optimal technique. It's a lifelong homework for you."

"Is that so...?"

Jeong Yeonshin thought it wasn't.

A deeper inspiration was already sparking in his mind.

'I can do this differently. Right now...'

A sky-blue light flashed in Jeong Yeonshin's eyes, and his hand slightly lifted.