Chapter 3

**Annihilation (2)**

‘What is it?’

He quickly lowered his head again. Though the gaze was incomprehensible, he did not attach much significance to it.

‘It’s not as if the Zongnan Sect masters are here to show off their martial arts.’

It was enough to have felt the aura directly.

The aura of the Zongnan Mountain, the birthplace of Daoism, was indeed different from that of the martial artists of the secular world, who were tainted by the times.

One could almost feel the coolness on their skin, wondering how subtle the inner cultivation techniques must be.

“Lift your heads. We didn’t come here to show off our abilities.”

Yi Yixin’s words still carried a hint of a smile. People quickly stood up and straightened their postures.

Jia Lord Zheng Daming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and spoke.

“We have been impolite in your presence. To have the Zongnan swordsmen stand here is improper. I will guide you.”

Following the Jia Lord, the Zongnan Sect masters began to move.

Yi Yixin glanced at Zheng Lianxin again as she passed by her subordinates.

“Did you see me?”

“It’s not you, but me.”

The bickering from behind was annoying.

What did it matter who the esteemed Zongnan Sect elder saw? He wouldn’t take her as a disciple anyway.

Zheng Lianxin turned around. Heading straight to the training ground, he thought deeply.

‘There’s no more room for improvement in the Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique.’

What should he practice now?

Facing the aura of the Zongnan Sect masters after achieving mastery in a martial art seemed to broaden his horizons.

His desire for achievement began to surpass his aversion.

‘Sword... Should I start practicing the sword now?’

What would it feel like to taste the realm of mastery with a proper sword technique?

Zheng Lianxin headed to the training ground, deconstructing the incantations of the Zheng Zongxin Sword he had seen as a child. His steps were light.

* * *

The family was bustling, but the training ground where the boy stood was utterly quiet.

He raised the sword to his midsection, his breathing calm.

The deepened breaths from the Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique brought a cloud-like fullness with each inhalation.

And with exhalation, the breath swept away distractions like rainwater washing the earth.

Zheng Lianxin reached a state of no self, fully immersing himself in the sword with each breath.

Zheng Zongxin Sword, Qi Huayi Ling Style.

The sword moved.

Composed of three sword principles and twenty-one techniques, the Zheng Zongxin Sword was solemn.

It carried the unique feeling of the Daoist Xianmen Zheng Sect, having been adapted from the Zongnan sword techniques.

As a martial art of the main mountain, it should be both righteous and profound. The Zheng Zongxin Sword was only righteous.

Unnatural. It was like a secular swordsman imitating a Daoist.

Zheng Lianxin instinctively felt this before even thinking about it.

What do secular swordsmen, who have descended from the Daoist sects, pursue? Wealth and fame.

It’s enough to kill anyone who stands in their way with a single strike.

What does a shallow swordsman need? Speed. The sword must be swift.

Whoosh!

The sword momentum changed. The heavy sword became light.

The energy followed a new concept, racing through his entire body’s meridians.

The Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique’s energy stirred intensely, contracting all his muscles.

The fast sword technique was infused into the sword method, naturally opening a new sword path.

Swoosh!

The night air, startled by the iron sword slicing through the atmosphere, scattered like birds.

This was a strike not found in the Zheng Zongxin Sword. It was a completely new sword incantation.

“Ha.”

He exhaled a long breath, filled with a sense of fulfillment.

Zheng Lianxin looked down at his hand holding the sword.

When he started the sword stance, he had firmly gripped the sword with all five fingers, but now his thumb and index finger were relaxed.

This is how it’s done.

“This is the Fast (快) incantation.”

The boy, who had spontaneously grasped the fast sword incantation and created a new sword technique, was extremely excited.

It was different from the Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique, which he had perfected with patience and perseverance.

He had immediately created a new toy from a fleeting thought inspired by the Zongnan Sect masters.

“Interesting. Really.”

After demonstrating the newly acquired fast sword incantation a few more times, Zheng Lianxin suddenly looked up.

The sky was as black as if draped in dark silk.

Clouds covered the entire sky, and neither the stars nor the moon were visible.

‘If I want to practice the Inner Cultivation Technique at dawn, I should go to sleep now.’

With a satisfied smile, he headed straight to his bedroom.

His body, honed by the Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique, did not sweat a drop.

The boy, who did not feel the need to wash, fell asleep immediately.

* * *

After getting up early and completing his morning practice, Zheng Lianxin headed straight to the breakfast hall.

Usually, he would eat alone with the help of a servant, but this time was different.

The Jia Lord would certainly have a meal with the Zongnan masters, whose stay was uncertain.

‘Being bold is no big deal.’

Hadn’t he gained inspiration just by seeing their clear auras?

The boy, who had tasted great achievement, attended the family breakfast with a bold face.

He ignored the surprised glances of his subordinates.

Zheng Lianxin focused his gaze on the Zongnan Sect figures seated at the upper seats.

“Come, take your seats.”

Jia Lord Zheng Daming cleared his throat and spoke.

It must have been difficult to scold his child in front of the esteemed martial artists.

This was what Zheng Lianxin had aimed for.

The meal began.

The boy tried to look at the Zongnan Sect members, including Yi Yixin, without drawing attention.

He was curious about what kind of cultivation was needed to possess the clear auras they exuded.

The human aura, which changes in nature according to emotions, was surprisingly clear and pure, as if it had been brought directly from Zongnan Mountain.

Suddenly, his eyes met those of the clan elder, Yi Yixin, who smiled.

“The Jia Lord’s third son has very clear eyes. He seems very intelligent.”

“Ah...! I am truly sorry. The third son’s cultivation is lacking...”

Startled, Zheng Daming slightly pulled back and glared at Zheng Lianxin.

The boy slightly bowed his head and ate a vegetable.

Strangely, Yi Yixin’s gentle smile was more burdensome than Zheng Daming’s obvious displeasure.

Something was different.

‘Clearness isn’t everything. It’s intense. Is this what they call supreme power?’

He had never seen a state where the condensed true energy inside the body naturally manifested outside.

It was a powerful presence that could be felt clearly even if not seen.

It felt like breaking the limits of his understanding of how strong inner energy could be.

‘The Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique is not the end. It can evolve further.’

The vegetable he was about to eat stopped.

He glimpsed the beginning of a new martial art.

Upon reflection, what Zheng Lianxin had cultivated with the Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique so far was his physical body.

He had foolishly not realized there was more to it.

No one had told him, amidst the indifference and subtle hostility.

‘The body is a vessel. To possess such an aura, one must cultivate their energy.’

What he had done was not wrong.

Thanks to it, he could focus entirely on cultivation, completely refining the foundation for the circulation of true energy.

First, refine the vessel, then fill it with water.

Now, it was time to pour in the energy.

Zheng Lianxin had fully grasped the most fundamental and profound truth.

The Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique could evolve further.

It would transform into a new martial art, evolving once again.

‘This time, it’s a real inner cultivation technique.’

He hummed a tune in his heart.

All kinds of inspirations struck his mind like lightning.

Countless methods of absorbing the energy of heaven and earth through the absorption technique intertwined and formed a pattern.

‘What should the next step after the Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique be called?’

For a moment, the boy’s eyes glowed blue, but only Yi Yixin of the Zongnan Sect noticed.

A sense of wonder bloomed on her face, which was beautifully alien.

* * *

“This place has better foundations than expected.”

“Indeed. Such a good aura of the earth would be coveted by the Sword Sect.”

Two Zongnan Sect disciples who had accompanied the elder to attend to her needs were speaking.

Yi Yixin and the three martial artists were drinking tea in the VIP room provided by the Jia Lord.

The room, neatly arranged and with a subtle tea fragrance, had a certain charm.

“Their arrival is certain. The plan to counterattack is good, but... I still feel uneasy about the sacrifice of this family.”

Yi Yixin said.

“The senses are always open.”

“Can’t we intercept and defeat them before they climb the wall?”

Confidence was evident on the faces of the two, who were in their thirties.

Feeling the martial spirit emitted by the disciples of the sect, Yi Yixin did not say anything more.

They were the elite of the Zongnan Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects.

It was not a reckless act.

She changed the topic.

“Is the child you plan to take as a disciple to your liking?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I also...”

The two showed a rather indifferent reaction.

After living for over two hundred years, one could judge a person’s character and potential from their demeanor and words, even if they were meeting for the first time. To Yi Yixin, the second son of the Zheng family did not seem particularly extraordinary.

“On the contrary, the third son’s eyes were firm.”

“I also saw it that way.”

“From what I can see, he is not an ordinary person. He might become a famous swordsman representing this family in the future. Since a main mountain disciple cannot inherit the family business, perhaps the Jia Lord deliberately sent the second son.”

Yi Yixin’s words were speculative, but her tone was confident. The two disciples looked surprised.

“Is it that serious?”

“Indeed. Then, perhaps it would be better to take the third son to the main mountain...”

“A violation of the rules. The main sect has already chosen a disciple. Even if we changed our decision now, the Jia Lord would not accept it, and the grand ceremony of the Zongnan Sect cannot be taken lightly.”

The elder’s low reprimand made the disciples bow their heads.

Reflecting on their own words and actions, they felt they had been too casual.

Yi Yixin tapped the table with her long fingers.

‘A strange child, indeed.’

He had always shown a peculiar aura.

It was not the kind of talent described as “blessed by nature” among the noble clans.

If it were, the things visible only to Yi Yixin would have surrounded the child.

It was different from that.

‘The child seemed particularly distinct amidst the energy of heaven and earth.’

She, a supreme inner cultivator, could communicate with the heavens.

The true energy that had pierced the Baihui point on the top of her head was truly profound, often granting her a sense of foresight through the upper dantian.

For Yi Yixin to feel this much alienation? The child was indeed extraordinary.

But it was not the time to dwell on it.

“The Sword Sect is a formidable enemy. Do not be complacent and hone your sword energy.”

* * *

After finishing breakfast, Zheng Lianxin received a visit from the chief steward. The purpose was easy to guess.

The chief steward, with a composed face but a troubled expression, looked at him.

“Chief Steward.”

“Third Young Master.”

“I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong. I’ve been thinking this lately.”

“Third Young Master.”

“Was my mother’s energy depleted at birth? Is that why I can’t even show my face to the family’s esteemed guests?”

“...It is the will of the Jia Lord.”

The chief steward answered. Seeing his pained expression, Zheng Lianxin fell silent.

The chief steward was a good person.

He was the right hand of the Jia Lord and the head of the family, managing all household affairs according to his will.

At such times, he often longed for his maternal relatives, whom he had never met.

But the Zheng family did not send him there.

Zheng Lianxin’s maternal family was a very powerful force.

They had never sought out their grandson after his mother’s passing, but the family members who treated Zheng Lianxin poorly always watched him warily and felt uncomfortable around him.

“I’m sorry.”

The boy said. A hint of pity flashed across the chief steward’s face.

“...I understand that the materials for your training in the training ground are insufficient. I will prepare new ones.”

“Thank you. I’ll wait for them.”

Zheng Lianxin turned around, feeling self-reproach.

He had revealed his youthful impatience due to the insights he gained from seeing the Zongnan Sect masters.

It was uncharacteristic of him.

‘Let’s try to weave an inner cultivation technique.’

He regulated his breathing and calmed his mind according to the incantations of the Zheng Family’s Inner Cultivation Technique.