Chapter v17c24

“As expected, he’s someone worthy of respect. I’m proud to be his grandson. In that case…”

‘Surpassing him is the highest form of respect I can offer!’

Then he could proudly say that it was Sword Saint Mo Yong Jeong-Cheon who had led him to become the strongest.

It wasn’t disrespect or blasphemy. It was the ultimate form of reverence.

His trembling ceased, and his eyes, now clear and bright, met the Sword Saint’s gaze. He looked at the towering mountain blocking his path with pride. There was nothing to gain from mere denial.

“I will definitely surpass you, Grandfather! Definitely!”

The Sword Saint paused, silently observing his grandson.

“Are you truly prepared?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Good!”

The Sword Saint smiled and sheathed his sword. The immense pressure that had been weighing down on Mo Yong-Hwi’s shoulders vanished. He could breathe a little easier.

The Sword Saint asked again,

“What did you see?”

The same question. But the answer was different.

“I saw a mountain. Mount Tai, a towering peak that connects heaven and earth, a gateway between the two.”

The Sword Saint gripped his grandson’s shoulders, nodding in satisfaction.

“Well done.”

Mo Yong-Hwi bowed deeply. The sword was back in its scabbard.

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

He was overjoyed, finally feeling a sense of approval.

“For you, who are still on your journey, the sky is an unreachable destination. But a mountain, no matter how high, is still part of the earth. If you wish to climb it, there’s no reason why you can’t. I’ll be waiting for the day you soar from the summit of Mount Tai, my heart filled with joy.”

His grandfather was overjoyed to see his grandson shed a layer of his limitations.

“I look forward to that day. I believe in you.”

“Believe.” One of the most powerful words. The weight of his trust, deeply embedded in those words, enveloped him with warmth, rather than crushing him.

He was relieved that he hadn’t disappointed his grandfather.

– It used to be the sky. But now it was Mount Tai.

He couldn’t fly to the sky yet, as he hadn’t grown wings, but the mountain was still connected to the earth beneath his feet. He didn’t have wings to soar, but he had strong legs and the passion, will, and determination to move them.

A mountain [Gen] was one Yang [F] standing on a foundation of two Yin [G], a bridge connecting the earth [Kun] and the sky [Qian].

As long as the mountain was connected to the earth, he could reach the summit if he kept walking. But walking wasn’t enough. Time was running out. And the journey was long. It was time to run.

He had only achieved a small shift in perspective. But it had changed his universe, his destiny.

He had just recreated his world.

“How did it go, Brother?”

After Mo Yong-Hwi left, the Sword Saint, alone, quietly asked the darkness behind him.

A figure emerged from the shadows, as if materializing out of thin air.

He had been there all along, even before Mo Yong-Hwi arrived. But he didn’t exist in Mo Yong-Hwi’s world. Because he wasn’t perceived.

“He’s finally teachable.”

The Sword Saint nodded vigorously.

“Of course. He’s my grandson, after all. A worthy student.”

The Sword Saint had been the same. Mo Yong-Hwi was a great joy in his later years. To be able to train and hone such talent was a teacher’s greatest pleasure.

His voice was filled with pride and satisfaction.

“But it took longer than I expected.”

“Longer?”

“How long do you think your little finger trick took?”

“Was it that long?”

“It seems like it was at least two hours. I was getting impatient.”

Elder Hyeok grumbled, massaging his shoulders.

“Really?”

The Sword Saint hadn’t noticed the passage of time at all.

“It’s all your fault for not keeping your family in check!”

Elder Hyeok said, his voice laced with annoyance.

“I don’t want to hear that from you, Brother. It’s unfair. You’re a much bigger obstacle than I am. It only took two hours because it was him. If it were you, it would have taken all day.”

“Like grandfather, like grandson… You underestimate yourself too much, just like your grandson. But it seems he’s finally learned to deny himself. He’s starting to struggle to break free from your shadow.”

What Mo Yong-Hwi needed was complete self-denial. Because his world began and ended with the Sword Saint. The shadow cast by the giant, Sword Saint Mo Yong Jeong-Cheon, was too dark and too vast. So he needed to deny his world. He needed to be shown that there was a sun beyond the shadow.

How could one go beyond the horizon? No, what did it even mean to go beyond the horizon? It was a process of constantly expanding one’s perspective.

To do that, one had to first acknowledge that it wasn’t the end. And one had to humbly accept that fact. It required a denial that wasn’t a disillusionment, but a transcendence. Only then could one expand their perception to the next horizon. Expanding one’s world not through Yin’s denial, but through Yang’s denial.

Until now, Mo Yong-Hwi’s horizon had naturally been the Sword Saint. Of course, the high realm of swordsmanship embodied by the Sword Saint had been a good horizon for his growth. It was a worthy goal. Perhaps he had believed that reaching that point would be the end of everything. Or perhaps he had subconsciously believed that he could never reach that point. Therefore, the Sword Saint was both his world and his limit.

Idols had their merits, but they also had their downsides. The biggest obstacle in his path was the existence of his idol, the Sword Saint.

But someone who was to inherit the will of the Martial God couldn’t be bound by the mere (!) existence of a Sword Saint. To become a god, one had to transcend humanity. Mo Yong-Hwi had to walk a path that was impossible without that resolve.

How could one believe in something they didn’t believe in? How could one deny something that didn’t exist within them? It was unattainable as long as it remained external. Therefore, Mo Yong-Hwi needed to break free from his own limitations. A bird couldn’t be born without breaking its shell, and it couldn’t soar without being born.

“Now, like us and our seniors, he’ll grow through a process of constant questioning. It will be a long and arduous journey.”

“It’s something no one can help him with. He has to do it himself. Isn’t that the essence of self-cultivation, overcoming one’s limitations?”

“You’re right. We can only do so much.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

How could a human transcend their limits?

The world was inherently open to broader horizons.

We existed through constant questioning, through “being.”

In everything we knew, we simultaneously acknowledged our ignorance. All knowledge was simultaneously “known ignorance,” and through this ignorance, we transcended the limits of our current knowledge and awakened the impulse to question. To know was to know what we didn’t know. Therefore, we questioned.

We existed in the world not only by knowing and understanding, but also by questioning. Through our questions, our world constantly expanded. The walls of our limited world, constructed in our minds, crumbled and opened up.

The human world was inherently open. And it constantly expanded into being, into infinity. This expansion never stopped. Through constant questioning, humans continuously broadened their horizons. They identified new limits beyond their current limits and dedicated themselves to reaching them. And for that, they needed a unified heart. A heart unified with unwavering faith, a heart that was “single-minded and unwavering.”

“Only when you know the mountain exists can you decide whether to climb it, and how to climb it. How can you reach higher ground if you don’t even know the mountain exists? He has seen the mountain now. And he’s decided to climb it. There’s nothing more we can do.”

“No, there is.”

Mo Yong Jeong-Cheon contradicted Elder Hyeok. Elder Hyeok acknowledged it.

“I see. You have something you can do.”

Mo Yong Jeong-Cheon nodded.

“Yes, I will stand in his way with all my might. Because that’s the greatest love I can give him.”

“I envy you.”

‘He’s the only one worthy of being my successor.’

He wanted to say it, but he held back. It was something he shouldn’t say to Elder Hyeok. Even this god had his scars and painful memories. Despite being called the Martial God Demon, he was still a human, bound by the same limitations.

The loss of a successor.

It was best not to touch that wound.

‘I hope he finds a new successor soon…’

The Sword Saint sincerely wished for it.

“I…”

Elder Hyeok spoke again.

“I want to tell him, and all the other children with the potential for a future, this.”

“What is it, Brother?”

Elder Hyeok answered with a serious expression,

“Young man, become a legend!”

“…”

Mo Yong Jeong-Cheon was silent for a moment, taken aback by his seriousness.

“Even coming from the source of the legend…”

“Do you think it’s contradictory?”

The Sword Saint nodded slightly.

“I want them to aspire to become legends themselves, not just listen to stories of past legends. I don’t want the legends of the past to hold them back. If you’re a young man, you need the audacity to deny the gods in the legends and become a legend yourself, don’t you think?”

“Isn’t that ‘Young man, become a non-believer’? Or ‘Young man, become a rebel’?”

Elder Hyeok retorted.

“Kuk kuk! Or perhaps ‘Young man, become a blasphemer.'”

“Are you telling a god to blaspheme himself? Are you sure you won’t get angry?”

“Hmm? Why shouldn’t I? I should be actively enraged.”

“What’s that? Your words and actions don’t match.”

“Oh, what’s the difference? How can they inherit the next legend if they’re scared of a little anger? They need the unwavering spirit to withstand such anger.”

“That sounds forced.”

“Not at all. It’s perfectly logical. Just as you stand as a wall in his path, I must also block the path of my juniors by expressing my anger, actively and boldly. That’s true love, grand and magnificent. Don’t. You. Think. So. Sword. Saint?”

The Sword Saint flinched.

“Well… I suppose so. I don’t want to get beaten up at my age.”

“Ahem!”

Elder Hyeok cleared his throat and lowered his fist.

The Sword Saint gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with a distant longing.

“Their new journey begins now.”

* * *

The next day, a notice was posted on the official bulletin boards throughout the academy.

The title was:

List of Candidates for the Delegation to Enhance Mutual Exchange between Cheonmu Academy and Machun Pavilion.

Departure Date: One week after the entrance exam.

List of Participants: Yong Cheon-Myeong, Ma Ha-Ryeong, Namgung-Sang, Jin-Ryeong, Il-Gong, Mo Yong-Hwi, Yoon Jun-Ho, Jang-Hong, Na Ye-Rin…

And… lastly, the following three characters were written:

Bi Ryu-Yeon.