Chapter 40: The Beginning of Change (4)

Clang!

A simple horizontal slash cut through the illusion.

Slice!

A straightforward thrust deflected the sword hidden by the formation.

“Why isn’t anything working?!”

Namgung Yun-ho was like an impenetrable wall.

Jegal Tan’s frustration grew.

“If he can see through my illusions, then I’ll just create illusions within illusions!”

He layered illusion upon illusion, concealing them beneath a veil of deception.

“Can he withstand this? Can he break through my layered illusions?!”

Instead of using his sword’s afterimages to create a formation around himself, he directed them at his opponent.

He was now targeting Namgung Yun-ho’s senses and his perception of Qi.

It was an astonishing display of skill.

Not only was his idea innovative, but his ability to create formations on the fly was something that would have impressed even the most seasoned formation masters.

Jegal Tan was improving at an alarming rate.

Clang!

But Namgung Yun-ho deflected the attack once again.

‘Is he an impenetrable fortress?’

Jegal Tan laughed in disbelief.

Namgung Yun-ho’s eyes were no longer focused on him.

His gaze was fixed on something in the distance, his pupils dilated.

‘He’s in a trance.’

*Forgetting oneself.*

*Seeking one’s true self.*

It was a state of enlightenment that some called “awakening.”

“He’s an incredible guy…”

Even Jegal Tan, the genius of the Jegal Clan, had never experienced such a state of heightened awareness.

But despite his disbelief, he felt a thrill of excitement.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

Clang! Clang!

He continued to attack, even though his internal energy was depleted and he could no longer create afterimages.

‘A trance is a golden opportunity for a martial artist. I can’t let this end.’

He pushed himself to his limits, wanting to prolong Namgung Yun-ho’s trance for as long as possible.

He felt a sharp pain in his dantian.

“Cough.”

He tasted blood in his mouth.

He had injured himself.

‘Just a little longer.’

He refused to give up.

‘I’ll hold on until the very end!’

He could no longer generate sword wind, but he didn’t care.

He continued to attack, searching for a weakness in Namgung Yun-ho’s impenetrable defense.

***

Namgung Yun-ho felt strange.

He felt like he was floating.

He heard his instructor’s voice.

*You’re not worthy of those three stances.*

Am I not good enough?

*No.*

His instructor’s voice was arrogant, as always.

*But you’re not bad.*

He felt a surge of pride.

*A long time ago, there was a man who conquered the world with three sword techniques.*

*And there was another man who mastered hundreds of secret techniques and achieved world domination.*

But you know what?

*They both ended up with three sword techniques.*

Why?

He heard a song in his trance.

*The myriad transformations of heaven and earth.*

The ten thousand meanings that arise between heaven and earth.

*All techniques return to one.*

The ten thousand techniques ultimately converge into one.

*Where does that one return to?*

A shadow appeared in his trance, executing a familiar stance.

*One Strike Return.*

A straight, vertical slash.

‘Wait, is that really One Strike Return?’

Was it a slash or a thrust?

It seemed to be both at the same time.

It shifted seamlessly between One Strike Return, Wind Splitting Cross, and Clear Wind Moon Slash.

He realized what was happening.

‘The stance is constantly changing.’

It wasn’t about executing a stance and then retracting it.

The sword was always in motion, always evolving.

He remembered what his instructor had said.

“You’re limited by your strategic thinking. Even a single stance can be infinitely varied by adjusting the angle of your wrist and the speed of your movements.”

One sword, ten thousand transformations.

“If you’re obsessed with strategy and rigid forms, you’ll never experience the world of true change.”

If you want to progress, embrace the world of change.

He was right.

His encounter with Jegal Tan’s illusion swordsmanship had triggered an awakening within him.

His doubts vanished, replaced by a newfound clarity.

The shadow in his trance suddenly stopped.

*That’s enough.*

Why?

He wanted to see more.

But his instructor said, *That’s enough for now.*

I understand.

Then…

‘This is my limit.’

For now.

But he wouldn’t stop here.

He would continue to strive for greater heights.

His trance faded.

***

Jegal Tan’s hair stood on end.

Namgung Yun-ho’s face was contorted in pain, his veins bulging.

“Qi deviation!”

How could Namgung Yun-ho, who hadn’t even learned a proper cultivation technique, experience qi deviation?

But before he could ponder the question, his body moved on instinct.

“Baek Ri-seol, now!”

Baek Ri-seol, sensing the danger, was already behind Namgung Yun-ho.

She struck him on the back of the neck with her scabbard, trying to knock him unconscious.

Clang!

“Damn it!”

Namgung Yun-ho blocked her attack with his sword, his movements swift and instinctive.

Baek Ri-seol backflipped, her wrist stinging from the force of his blow.

“I’ll have to use more force.”

She landed gracefully, her eyes cold.

“I’m going to knock you out!”

Just then…

“He’s got a lot of energy for a kid.”

A lazy voice echoed through the air, followed by a gust of wind.

Namgung Yun-ho, who had been an impenetrable wall just moments ago, was sent flying.

Crash!

“Wh-what?”

Jegal Tan blinked, his eyes following Namgung Yun-ho’s crumpled form.

There was a man standing next to him.

Baek Ri-seol’s face lit up.

“Instructor!”

“You guys don’t sleep, do you?”

Cho Un-hwi, his annoying bangs hanging in his eyes, looked at them with an exasperated expression.

Jegal Tan had never been so happy to see him.

“Instructor, Namgung Yun-ho just experienced qi deviation!”

Cho Un-hwi yawned.

“Is that so?”

“We need to take him to the infirmary…”

“Let me take a look.”

He nudged Namgung Yun-ho’s unconscious body with his foot, flipping him over.

“Hmm, let’s see…”

He kicked Namgung Yun-ho in the ribs a few times.

Namgung Yun-ho groaned.

“Hmm, he seems fine.”

He was just groaning.

Cho Un-hwi stepped on Namgung Yun-ho’s stomach and stomped.

Crack! Crack!

He was making the patient worse, not better.

“Um, Instructor?”

“Trust me, he’s fine.”

He smiled reassuringly, then sat on Namgung Yun-ho’s stomach and slapped him across the face.

Slap! Slap!

“Um, Instructor?”

“What? What is it?”

“Um… are we watching Namgung Yun-ho die?”

“People don’t die that easily.”

They do die easily, though.

He continued to slap Namgung Yun-ho.

Baek Ri-seol pointed out, “He’s bleeding from his nose.”

“Oh, he is.”

“He’s got a double nosebleed.”

“Just hold his nose closed.”

He pinched Namgung Yun-ho’s nose, and black blood started pouring out of his mouth.

It seemed the blood was backing up into his throat.

Cho Un-hwi flipped Namgung Yun-ho over and sat on his back, pulling his head back by the hair.

“See? He’s fine.”

Namgung Yun-ho’s face was anything but fine. His back was arched, his nose and mouth were blocked, and his face was turning blue.

He looked like he was about to die.

The cause of death would be blunt force trauma.

Mo Yong So-hye, who was witnessing a potential murder, spoke up.

“Um… if you block his nose and mouth, he won’t be able to breathe.”

Cho Un-hwi pulled Namgung Yun-ho’s cheeks apart.

“It’s okay, he’s smiling.”

Black blood poured out of his nose and mouth.

He looked like something out of a nightmare.

“Instructor! What are you doing?!”

“Oh, right, you’re here too.”

Jegal Tan, who had been about to protest, felt a chill run down his spine as he saw Cho Un-hwi approaching him with a cheerful smile.

It wasn’t just his imagination.

Crack! Crack!

Cho Un-hwi was cracking his knuckles.

“Um… Instructor?”

His voice was weak.

He felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

But he straightened his back and said, “Your treatment methods are illogical. If you don’t take him to the infirmary immediately…”

“You’re in bad shape too, Jegal.”

“What? I don’t understand…”

Bam!

Cho Un-hwi punched him in the ribs.

“Ugh…”

He gasped, unable to scream.

He saw stars, and his ears rang.

“Why don’t you understand? You’re supposed to be the smart one.”

“Ugh… ugh…”

Wait, wait.

His mind wasn’t racing like it usually did.

His usual eloquence had deserted him, replaced by a single thought.

‘Please stop.’

‘There must be a reason for this.’

‘No more violence.’

He doubled over, his back arched like a shrimp.

But Cho Un-hwi just punched him in the other side.

He saw black, the pain overwhelming.

“Ugh… ugh…”

“You’re in bad shape too, Jegal. Don’t worry, trust your instructor.”

Wait, wait.

‘Jegal is in bad shape. Bad shape is Jegal.’

Bam!

His thoughts vanished.

‘This is hopeless.’

He couldn’t withstand those punches. It felt like he was being mauled by a bear, a mythical beast of unimaginable strength.

But strangely…

The Qi that had been concentrated in the areas where he had been punched was dispersing, and his agitated internal energy was calming down.

“Ugh… what…”

‘What’s happening?’

He heard Cho Un-hwi’s voice.

“You’re a smart kid, you know what this is, right? It’s the Pursuit and Blood Dispersal Technique.”

The Pursuit and Blood Dispersal Technique.

A secret technique used by masters of Qi to remove blockages and stagnant blood.

It required a profound understanding of the human body and its 365 acupoints.

Jegal Tan was surprised that Cho Un-hwi knew the technique, but he was even more surprised by the way he was using it.

“This isn’t the Pursuit and Blood Dispersal Technique… it’s a headbutt.”

Cho Un-hwi grabbed Jegal Tan’s hair and pulled his head back.

“Pursuit.”

Bam!

He headbutted him on the right side of his head.

“And.”

Bam!

He headbutted him on the left side of his head.

“Blood.”

Crack!

He kicked him in the shins.

Jegal Tan fell backward.

“Let’s take a break.”

“Why are you guys training in the middle of the night? You’re making me work.”

“If you have some kind of epiphany, just get it over with during the day.”

‘It doesn’t work that way…’

He wanted to protest, but Cho Un-hwi’s kicks silenced him.

But it was okay.

He gave up thinking.

‘It’s okay, I can’t fight this.’

Sometimes, you just have to accept the things you can’t control.

He had gained a strange sense of enlightenment through his pain.

He felt like he could achieve nirvana if he shaved his head right now.

‘I don’t care anymore.’

His consciousness faded.

***

Namgung Yun-ho opened his eyes, the scent of herbs filling his nostrils.

‘I was…’

He looked around, his vision blurry.

“You’re awake.”

He heard Jegal Tan’s voice.

“Ugh!”

He sat up, his body aching. But he felt strangely light.

“Tan?”

He turned to his friend and noticed something strange.

Jegal Tan was sitting against the wall, his eyes bruised and swollen, rubbing an egg against them.

“Tan, what happened to you?”

“…Who else could it be?”

“Instructor Cho.”

Jegal Tan pouted and continued to rub the egg against his eyes.

He was a far cry from the arrogant and cynical genius of the Jegal Clan.

He looked like a child, sulking and nursing his wounds.

‘He reminds me of when we were younger.’

Jegal Tan noticed the smile on Namgung Yun-ho’s face and said grumpily, “Don’t think you got off easy.”

“Hahaha.”

“Damn it. Ugh.”

He winced as he pressed the egg too hard against his eye.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I feel great.”

“Really? Hey, Namgung Yun-ho.”

“What?”

“Instructor Cho knows the Pursuit and Blood Dispersal Technique.”

It seemed like a dubious technique, but it had been effective.

“He’s a strange guy, isn’t he?”

“Who? Instructor Cho?”

“Who else?”

“That’s true.”

The sound of bubbling water filled the air.

It was ten days before the midterm exams.

(TLN: from now on we go back to the normal 5ch/week excluding bonuses ofc and ye today you got 2 bonus chaps for reaching 150 readers and 5 more ratings above 3 on NU enjoy )