Chapter 507: Give it to me just once.

Namgung Bi-ah had a path.

The path she wanted to walk as a sword, the goal she wished to reach. Gazing at that distant, firmly set track, she constantly walked the road.

It was very far.

A distant road where the destination was unseen.

One might feel intimidated looking at that thin yet rough path, but Namgung Bi-ah did not stop.

Perhaps it was because she had already seen the result.

-Come slowly.

She remembered the voice heard at the martial arts tournament held in Hanam.

-If you rush inappropriately, you’ll fall.

-Take it easy so you don’t fall.

Without wavering, without straying from the path.

-Then I will give you a gift.

Namgung Bi-ah couldn’t forget that voice, as if it were branded onto her.

Whose words were they?

Only the blue martial arts uniform worn by the old man made her recognize him as a member of the Namgung family.

She didn’t know his identity. She also didn’t know why he had beckoned her this way.

But Namgung Bi-ah walked.

Like the old man’s words, slowly, even if it was slow, without straying from the path.

Yet without hesitation.

Swish-!

The sword in Namgung Bi-ah’s hand sliced through the air.

No sword energy was formed. It was a sword path without even internal energy mixed in.

She just swung it.

Because she hadn’t infused internal energy, the sword was heavy, and it didn’t achieve the desired speed, but it didn’t matter.

What was important was not straying from the path she wanted to take.

She focused only on that one thing.

Grrrk.

Her foot, extended to maintain balance, met the ground.

Her fingertips were so light, yet her lower body was incredibly heavy to support this.

Drip-!

Drops of sweat trickled down Namgung Bi-ah’s pale white skin.

It was a movement that seemed like nothing special, but the pressure felt in her body to maintain it was considerable.

Just like that, the second sword strike.

Swish-! A clear sound cut through the air.

And at the same time.

Vwoom-!

The sword cried out. It was a sword’s cry (Sword’s Resonance).

Hearing the sound, Namgung Bi-ah’s ears perked up.

Now it begins.

A reaction came to the path Namgung Bi-ah was seeing with her eyes closed. It appeared before her.

An illusion like a flower blooming on a dry path. A sensation like leaves sprouting on a withered old tree.

As she took the stance, the strength she had put in gained some leeway.

Naturalness flowed through her sword swings.

It was as if…

She was gradually getting closer to the sword.

Vwoom-! Vwoom-!

Even without using internal energy, the sword cried. Listening to it, Namgung Bi-ah continued to swing her sword.

Fourth strike, and fifth strike.

The family’s sword path, learned for a long time in the Namgung family.

From afar, it looked like she was executing it identically, but Namgung Bi-ah was creating subtle differences.

Voom-! Voom-!

Before she knew it, the sound the sword emitted had become louder than the sound of it cutting through the air.

This meant the sword’s cry had amplified.

The Namgung family’s sword path is based on internal energy.

This meant it was a sword path that couldn’t be used without internal energy.

Why could that be?

Namgung Bi-ah was always curious.

Why could the Namgung sword not be completed without internal energy?

Could that truly be called completion?

The energy representing the Namgung family is Thunder Energy (Lightning Qi). The Emperor Sword Form expressed while wielding the sword.

The perception when thinking of the Namgung family was unleashing thunder along with that mixed aura, but…

Namgung Bi-ah had doubts about that too.

‘Why?’

A family that dreams of being the greatest sword clan.

How could they not consider a complete sword?

A sword that cannot be used without internal energy is, ultimately, an incomplete sword.

That cannot be called completion.

Do the Namgung family truly not know this?

It was something she was always curious about, but she never voiced her doubts.

The first reason was that the environment wasn’t suitable for making such remarks.

The second reason was that Namgung Bi-ah herself didn’t judge it to be meaningful.

Strength entered her toes.

Muscles tensed to express the sword, and her lower body strengthened to endure the movements.

A sword path erupting after countless actions.

She had to eliminate the sense of incongruity.

The faint yet unpleasant scent felt between the sword paths.

Namgung Bi-ah was pouring all her concentration into each movement to eliminate this.

And so, twenty. After swinging the sword exactly twenty times.

“Haa… haa…”

Namgung Bi-ah’s movements stopped.

She couldn’t help it. She was drenched in sweat and panting.

Thump.

The sword in her hand dropped to the floor.

Simultaneously, Namgung Bi-ah also braced herself on the floor, kneeling halfway.

Drip, drip. Sweat drops fell down Namgung Bi-ah’s delicate chin.

She was trying to calm herself, but even that wasn’t easy.

Putting aside not using internal energy, it was because she had poured all her focus into concentrating on the sword path.

Amidst that, even while looking at her own sweat wetting the floor, Namgung Bi-ah was thinking something else.

‘…One more step.’

Should I try just one more step?

Should I advance a little further, maintaining the current sensation?

Such desire surged within her.

Because if she set her mind to it, she could have gone further.

Just a little more, towards that distant destination, just a tiny bit more.

Only by advancing, even just a little bit like that…

‘I can protect that… person.’

I can cultivate the strength to protect him.

Recalling that, Namgung Bi-ah pushed herself up and gripped the sword that had fallen to the floor, but…

“…”

Swoosh- Clack-!

The sword showed no other action and quietly returned to its sheath.

Namgung Bi-ah ultimately did not take another step.

‘Slowly…’

The step forward taken right here, right now, would not be complete.

She could do it, but the step would be unstable, and she would lose more than she gained.

She mustn’t lose her balance just because she wants to reach the end.

Always remembering that, Namgung Bi-ah bit her lip.

It’s still far. She truly felt how distant that destination far away was.

At this speed, could she really reach it?

Such a cowardly feeling brushed past her, but she had to suppress it firmly.

She was always confident in her ability to endure.

Wasn’t she enduring many things right now?

Most of them were directed towards Gu Yangcheon, but she had to endure.

Namgung Bi-ah knew that if she did this and that to Gu Yangcheon in the way she wanted, he would resent her.

Endure.

The sword was like that too, so she had to endure.

She tidied her posture and slowly opened her eyes.

“I should wash up and change into my martial uniform.”

‘…Where should I go…?’

Today, there was a place she needed to head towards. Based on information from her father, the Sword King, she heard that her great-grandfather, the Heavenly Venerate, was in Sichuan.

Therefore, Namgung Bi-ah had requested and sent a separate letter to the Heavenly Venerate.

She planned to trust this and go find the Heavenly Venerate.

The problem was.

‘…Where… to?’

Where she needed to go to meet the Heavenly Venerate.

Should I start by searching the mountain area slowly?

If I don’t know, I’ll just find it by running around.

This was Namgung Bi-ah’s way of finding paths since long ago.

She would meet him someday.

Thinking so, she was about to head towards the back mountain first when…

“This is quite something.”

A voice came from behind.

As soon as she heard the sound, Namgung Bi-ah drew her sword and swung it.

Swishhh-!

Clang-!

“…!”

She thrust her sword towards the direction of the sound, but…

Before she could properly accelerate, her sword path was blocked.

It was because the owner of the voice had blocked Namgung Bi-ah’s sword with his hilt.

With this, Namgung Bi-ah could see.

Her silvery-blue hair shaking from the impact.

It was the exact same color as her own hair.

“Did you not notice because that monster over there was too big? Hmm…”

Even with the sudden attack, the man wore an unfazed expression.

Rather, he was even examining the sword as if gauging Namgung Bi-ah’s strength.

Then, looking at Namgung Bi-ah, the man smiled.

“My niece is quite the formidable monster too, aren’t you?”

Only then could Namgung Bi-ah ascertain the man’s identity.

She had seen him before.

Wasn’t he the one called the Sleeping Dragon’s teacher, whom she met following Gu Yangcheon?

Furthermore, he was someone with the Namgung blood, just like her.

“…Monster Monk…”

The Wudang Monster Monk, Namgung Hyung.

By estimation, he was her father’s younger brother.

And that man…

“My dear niece, perhaps…”

He said, looking at Namgung Bi-ah.

“Have you ever thought about becoming the Family Head or something?”

“…”

It was such an out-of-the-blue remark.

---

-Don’t you need more mom?

Those were the words spat out by the White Lotus Sword, who appeared out of nowhere.

Just as I frowned at this bizarrely nonsensical statement, the White Lotus Sword seemed to belatedly realize what she had just said, quickly covered her mouth, and promptly ran away.

What on earth is she trying to do?

It wasn’t just today that that woman was strange, but she seemed particularly odd today.

No, maybe it’s just because I haven’t seen her in a while, wasn’t she always this strange?

It was a statement that couldn’t be understood otherwise.

‘You don’t need more mom?’

What is she even saying?

It was a crazy thing I’d never heard before.

‘I already have plenty, why would I need more.’

Was she perhaps offering to become one if I needed one?

‘The White Lotus Sword is Mom?’

The moment I briefly imagined it, my body shivered uncontrollably.

The instant my body trembled from the dizzying delusion…

“…Stay still, I can’t concentrate.”

“Ah, I apologize.”

The Divine Doctor, who was taking my pulse by holding my hand, let out a reprimand.

At his words, I forced myself to compose myself.

Right after the White Lotus Sword left.

Leaving Tang Deok, who was in front of me, I headed towards the Divine Doctor.

I had intended to check on him briefly because he had a fever, but after the whirlwind caused by the White Lotus Sword, I regained some composure and realized again that I didn’t have much time.

Since I had many things to do today, I couldn’t spend time on Tang Deok.

So, after ordering him to infuse energy and have Tang Soyeol resume guarding, I headed to the Divine Doctor.

Since I had given him notice that I would visit around this time, the Divine Doctor didn’t seem particularly flustered either.

As the Divine Doctor’s dry hand touched my wrist…

I felt a faint energy penetrating my body.

It was the Divine Doctor’s energy.

I hadn’t been able to feel such energy exchange before, but perhaps due to the molting, I felt it clearly.

‘How strange.’

The Divine Doctor is not a martial artist. However, he possessed a small amount of internal energy.

He said it was somewhat necessary to examine martial artists, didn’t he?

‘He can examine my whole body with this much energy?’

It was truly a minuscule amount of internal energy, yet the Divine Doctor’s energy, though faint, was firm enough that it didn’t disappear even while examining my entire body, seeming tireless.

The energy, which circled from head to toe like a rotation, soon returned to the Divine Doctor.

Only then did the Divine Doctor open his closed eyes and remove his hand from my body.

“…Huh…”

A sigh escaped him right after.

“Truly, the vessel… it has been reconstructed.”

The Divine Doctor discerned that the vessel, said to be on the verge of shattering, had been properly formed.

“Your bone structure has hardened, and the density of your muscles is also unusual. Your body wasn’t unsightly to begin with, but what on earth happened?”

“Are there any particular matters to be cautious about?”

“None. This is the first time I’ve seen a body this perfect since birth.”

Oh…

I couldn’t help but be surprised by those words.

As the Divine Doctor called the foremost physician in the Central Plains, he must have examined countless martial artists.

To say he was the most outstanding among them, how could I not be surprised?

‘So that means it’s okay to wreck it a bit more, right?’

If it’s a perfect body, doesn’t that mean it can withstand rougher treatment than my previous body?

At this rate, it seemed I could significantly increase the intensity of my training.

[You punk, you speak as if handling a tool. Have you forgotten you’re a person?]

‘Wouldn’t that be more convenient, then? Since it’s not just any human body.’

[No, that… fine. Do as you please.]

Right after the pulse diagnosis ended, I twisted my body this way and that. Fortunately, it seemed there were no major issues.

Just when I thought everything was finished…

“…However.”

The Divine Doctor brought up a remark laced with doubt.

“There was a faint, slightly strange part.”

“What part is it?”

“It seemed perfect, yet somehow there was an incongruous part. The bone structure, the muscles… It’s not enough to be noticeable, but there’s a nagging feeling.”

“…”

Hearing the Divine Doctor’s words, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

The incongruous part he was referring to…

‘…Seems like the after-effects of the Body Transformation Technique?’

Could it be a gap created by forcibly twisting muscles and bones to change the body?

As I am still using the Body Transformation Technique, it seemed the Divine Doctor had found that part.

If you put it another way…

‘Does this mean even the Divine Doctor can only detect a minor sense of incongruity?’

It meant that the body changed by the Body Transformation Technique couldn’t be properly detected even by the Divine Doctor.

But then…

‘How did Father know just by looking?’

That’s what’s rather curious.

Recalling this, I reached into my pocket and took out an item, something I had originally brought to give to the Divine Doctor.

The White Horse Stone.

Seeing the radiant stone placed on the table, the Divine Doctor’s eyes widened.

“This is the White Horse Stone you mentioned.”

“…This…”

The Divine Doctor reached out towards the White Horse Stone. Seeing that, I immediately pulled the White Horse Stone back.

As the White Horse Stone vanished just before being touched, I could see the Divine Doctor’s brow furrowing.

“What are you doing right now?”

He seemed to think I was playing a prank.

He wasn’t wrong.

“Originally, I intended to just give it to you. But it seems I need to add one more condition.”

“…What?”

Regardless of my smiling words, the Divine Doctor’s expression soured further.

Of course,

It was an item I had agreed to provide under certain conditions, and now I was adding another.

But what could be done?

Currently, I was the superior party, and the Divine Doctor was the subordinate.

The Divine Doctor knew that too, so he couldn’t voice any displeasure or say anything else.

‘That means this is that important.’

Watching the silent Divine Doctor, I narrowed my eyes.

Just how important is it that he desires it so earnestly?

Didn’t he say he would sever Je gal-hyeok’s head? He definitely said that.

‘I don’t need to know that now.’

It didn’t matter if I didn’t know.

“You know that thing you said you’d do with this rock, right?”

The reason being…

“I want to watch you do it up close.”

Because I could find out starting now.

“…!”

Hearing my words, the Divine Doctor’s eyes widened.

The Divine Doctor’s words about using the White Horse Stone to do something.

My intention was to witness that action firsthand.

And furthermore, this intention…

Was, surprisingly, also the will of the Elder Shin.