Chapter 4
Wi Jin-gyeol constantly felt unease despite the reassurances from the Divine Healer and his son.
Having lived with the constant fear that his son could return to the sickbed at any moment, it was perhaps only natural.
No martial arts master could completely rid themselves of the deep-seated anxieties buried in their hearts.
Because of this, he wanted to obtain all sorts of elixirs to help Wi Yeon-cheon reach the third level of the Yin-Yang Divine Art quickly.
But he was advised not to consume any elixirs before reaching the third level of the Yin-Yang Divine Art, so he could not do so.
“Master, your complexion has improved lately.”
“Haha, it seems I’ve become healthier since Yeon-cheon regained his health.”
Yet, Wi Jin-gyeol’s worries were put to shame by how quickly Wi Yeon-cheon progressed.
“Father, I have already reached the second level of the Yin-Yang Divine Art.”
Wi Yeon-cheon reached the second level of the Yin-Yang Divine Art just six months after receiving it from the Divine Healer.
Reaching the second level within only six months brought new concerns to Wi Jin-gyeol.
“No matter how much I’ve given my son a new lease on life, demonic arts are still demonic arts…”
As the Chief Military Officer of the Martial Alliance, Wi Jin-gyeol had analyzed more demonic arts than anyone else.
The demonic arts he encountered during that time were all exceptionally cruel.
Some demonic arts required mass slaughter or the consumption of others’ blood to achieve power.
Others involved gaining strength by exploiting the suffering of others.
These martial arts could lead one down a demonic path simply by practicing them.
Naturally, Wi Jin-gyeol could not help but worry.
“Father, why does our family teach not only Daoism and Confucianism but also Legalism, Mohism, and Buddhism?”
“There is a purpose behind each of these teachings.”
Thus, Wi Jin-gyeol began teaching Wi Yeon-cheon even more scholarly knowledge.
Though he wished for his son to quickly reach the third level and escape his terminal condition, he also didn’t want him to become a demonic practitioner.
Wi Jin-gyeol believed that by teaching him the wisdom of their ancestors, his son would follow the right path.
As time went on, the time spent teaching Wi Yeon-cheon increased.
However, Wi Yeon-cheon’s talent far exceeded Wi Jin-gyeol’s expectations.
“Master, the young lord is acting strangely!”
“What do you mean? Take me to Yeon-cheon immediately!”
Wi Yeon-cheon reached the third level of the Yin-Yang Divine Art just as winter began, at the end of the year.
***
Wi Yeon-cheon practiced the Yin-Yang Divine Art every day after finishing his father’s teachings.
What had started as a means of survival gradually became more than just that; it turned into a source of joy.
Cultivating and achieving progress in the Yin-Yang Divine Art became more enjoyable than anything else.
Now, practicing the Yin-Yang Divine Art had become the most precious time of his day.
“It feels like I’m about to have a breakthrough…”
For the past two weeks, he had sensed a strange feeling emanating near his dantian, where the energies of yin and yang fluctuated wildly.
It was a sensation he had never felt before while practicing the Yin-Yang Divine Art.
It was as if the opposing energies were battling for control over his dantian.
“If I could just capture these two energies in my dantian at once…”
Upon reaching the second level, he had completely separated the yin and yang energies and was now attempting to contain them together in his dantian, creating an endless opposition.
This was considered the perfect state of yin and yang described in the Yin-Yang Divine Art.
It resembled the Taiji in principle but depicted a constant struggle instead of harmony.
An endless battle between yin and yang was the ultimate goal of the Yin-Yang Divine Art.
‘No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem like an orthodox approach.’
Yet, despite this, Wi Yeon-cheon felt no hesitation in pursuing mastery of the Yin-Yang Divine Art.
He believed that he had to master it.
His body, infused with Nine Heavens Divine Qi, craved the Yin-Yang Divine Art, and he himself wanted to reach its pinnacle.
And so, he continued practicing, circulating his qi through pathways that even he could not fully perceive.
As the yin and yang energies circulated from his middle dantian through his upper dantian and toward his lower dantian, something new began to emerge.
This new energy, though originating within his body, was beyond his ability to grasp and flowed through his entire being.
Wi Yeon-cheon tried to calm his racing heart and regulate his breathing.
If his breathing became erratic, it could disturb his qi pathways, potentially twisting his energy flow.
As he regulated his breath and attempted to harness this unfamiliar energy, the energies of yin and yang were consumed by this new presence.
It moved with a fierce intensity, as if it were clutching the necks of two dragons—no, two serpents.
This was not something happening solely within Wi Yeon-cheon’s body.
Two distinct colours of haze, representing yin and yang, emanated from his entire being.
The hazy light of yin and yang spread across the area, visible even to those untrained in martial arts.
‘The new energy is devouring the Qi of yin and yang.’
Having read the secret manual of the Yin-Yang Divine Art countless times, Wi Yeon-cheon recognized what this was.
‘Yin-Yang Radiance’
A power distinctly different from the Taiji.
But described in the manual as possessing the essence of yin and yang.
It was the energy referred to as Yin-Yang Radiance, the essence of a thousand-day struggle.
Wi Yeon-cheon immediately realized that the Yin-Yang Radiance was the key to reaching the third level of the Yin-Yang Divine Art.
‘Alright, consume everything.’
Wi Yeon-cheon poured all the remaining innate energy within him, transforming it into yin and yang, and offered it up to the Yin-Yang Radiance.
All the energy that the Divine Doctor and Herb Doctor had accumulated within him over the years.
The Yin-Yang Radiance ravenously devoured all the unabsorbed energy in his body.
After consuming all the energy, the Yin-Yang Radiance coursed through Wi Yeon-cheon’s entire body and ascended to the upper dantian.
At that moment, a voice filled his upper dantian.
[I am still hungry.]
A voice that brought a chill of fear through his entire body.
Though it was a brief statement, it startled Wi Yeon-cheon deeply.
It was clearly a human voice, but it didn’t feel like it came from a human.
With just those few words, it made his middle dantian tremble.
‘Wh-who are you?’
Wi Yeon-cheon repeatedly shouted the question in his mind, trying to steady his trembling middle dantian, but no answer came.
The Yin-Yang Radiance, which had lingered momentarily in the upper dantian, then dispersed, turning back into yin and yang energy and spreading throughout his entire body.
As the energy dispersed, Wi Yeon-cheon realized that his body had undergone a transformation.
He felt as though he had taken a step closer to a body that was even more suited to mastering the Yin-Yang Divine Art.
In that moment, Wi Yeon-cheon knew that he had reached the pinnacle stage.
However, what puzzled him was that he could not sense the presence of the Yin-Yang Radiance that should have formed within him.
‘Th-that, and to say it’s still hungry…’
But the most bizarre and terrifying thing was the unknown voice that had filled his upper dantian.
It was said that martial artists who reached the pinnacle undergo significant changes.
However, there were no records of anyone hearing such strange voices.
‘What on earth is happening?’
He tried to calm his trembling heart, finishing his breathing exercise, and slowly opened his eyes.
He could see the world with a completely different perspective compared to when he had reached the second level of the Yin-Yang Divine Art.
‘Ah, I’ve reached the third level of the Yin-Yang Divine Art.’
With his changed vision, he realized he had reached the third level.
What he saw first through this new vision was nothing other than his father, who was looking at him with eyes full of worry.
“Y-Yeon-cheon, are you alright?”
Wi Yeon-cheon tried to reassure him with words, but what came out of his mouth was something entirely unexpected.
“Father, I am hungry.”
Everyone was shocked by the words that came out of Wi Yeon-cheon’s mouth.
Wi Yeon-cheon himself was no exception.
“You… you are hungry?”
It was surprising, yet delightful, that a son who never mentioned hunger would now express it.
However, Wi Yeon-cheon was more surprised by the words that had left his own mouth.
‘Why did I say that?’
Until just a moment ago, he hadn’t felt hungry at all, but now he was starting to feel a gnawing emptiness.
It wasn’t exactly hunger; it was more like an empty feeling inside.
“Yes, I think I am hungry.”
“Think you are hungry?”
Wi Yeon-cheon nodded at his father, who tilted his head in confusion.
“Alright, I’ll have a late-night meal prepared. Are you sure you’re okay?”
When Wi Yeon-cheon tilted his head, not understanding the question, Wi Jin-gyeol spoke with a worried expression.
“While you were circulating your energy, a haze rose from your body, then suddenly got absorbed back in.”
Wi Yeon-cheon thought his father must have witnessed the moment when the Yin-Yang Radiance absorbed the energy.
“It seems you witnessed the moment I reached the third level.”
Hearing that he had reached the third level, Wi Jin-gyeol felt a mix of emotions.
Though his son had escaped the life of a terminally ill patient by reaching the third level, he had no way of knowing what changes might come.
“Were there any changes when you reached the third level?”
Contemplating for a moment, Wi Yeon-cheon replied.
“For one, my senses have become sharper, especially my vision.”
Wi Jin-gyeol thought his son had simply reached the pinnacle through the third level of the Yin-Yang Divine Art.
But he was shocked by his son’s words as he furrowed his brows.
“And my dantian feels empty.”
Saying that his dantian felt empty was nearly the same as saying he was unable to use martial arts.
But Wi Yeon-cheon could feel it.
Despite the emptiness in his dantian, he had not lost his martial prowess.
“My dantian is empty, but I do not feel any special sensation.”
“No special sensation?”
“If anything, I feel a stronger desire to perform martial arts.”
Wi Jin-gyeol couldn’t understand his son’s words, but one thing was clear.
His son, whose dantian felt empty, had undoubtedly reached the pinnacle.
“Would it be alright if I try out some martial arts in the training yard while the meal is being prepared?”
“Y-yes. Let’s go at once.”
Wi Yeon-cheon headed to the training yard with his father.
Throughout the walk to the yard, he kept opening and closing his fists.
‘My body has definitely changed.’
Wi Yeon-cheon, whose body was already near perfection thanks to the Nine Heavens Divine Qi, sensed yet another transformation in his physique.
It felt as though his body had evolved further, solely for the purpose of mastering the Yin-Yang Divine Art.
“Why do you keep doing that?”
He offered a wry smile in response to his father’s worried tone.
“It’s alright. Please watch as I perform some martial arts.”
“Understood.”
Grasping a sword, Wi Yeon-cheon stood at the centre of the training yard and glanced back at his father.
He offered a slight nod to his father, who couldn’t shake his worries, and then focused all his senses on the tip of the sword.
Although he couldn’t feel any energy, he began swinging the sword slowly.
It was a completely different sensation from before he reached the third level.
This was the first time he had achieved unity between sword and body.
As he attained this unity and performed the first technique of the The Profound and Subtle Sword Technique, he felt a small burst of energy within his body.
‘Yin-Yang Radiance…!’
The small bursts of energy gathered within him and soon formed the Yin-Yang Radiance.
The Yin-Yang Radiance hidden throughout his body began to automatically circulate and direct the energy as if it had a will of its own.
The circulating energy soon coursed through his entire body and flowed toward the sword he held.
The Yin-Yang Radiance condensed at the tip of the sword, forming a small flame that resembled a mirage.
The flame that manifested at the tip of Wi Yeon-cheon’s sword was none other than the Sammae True Flame.
Wi Yeon-cheon nearly lost his composure in surprise as he watched the Sammae True Flame at the tip of his sword.
After finally calming down, he completed the first technique and stared at the sword’s tip.
He had unknowingly manifested the Sammae True Flame.
As he gazed at the flame in awe, his father rushed over with eyes full of shock.
With a complex mixture of joy and disbelief in his gaze, Wi Jin-gyeol could only stare at Wi Yeon-cheon.
Wi Yeon-cheon could only offer a sheepish smile to his father.
—
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