Chapter 6
Resolution (3)
Did Kang Yong-woon’s earnest heart reach them?
The beings of the Celestial Vault, having heard what happened earlier that day, stepped forward as if they were his own blood relatives.
[Was it the Demon Sect’s spawn?]
[Did the Western Blood Sect invade?]
[Or else—did the Emperor go mad and send eight hundred thousand imperial guards against you?!]
Kang Yong-woon nearly choked.
“N-no, sirs!”
Even he, who knew little of the martial world, had at least heard of the Demon Sect, the Western Blood Sect, and the Eight Hundred Thousand Golden Guards.
So they’re just trying to figure out who the enemy was, but still…
Wasn’t this a bit much? For someone like him to be worthy of mobilizing such terrors?
[Then who was it?]
[I’m dying of curiosity here!]
[Who under heaven could possibly have the ability to sever your head?]
[Come now, speak plainly. I cannot fathom it.]
[What master in this world could endanger you, one who has already set foot in the Celestial Vault?!]
Heat rushed to Yong-woon’s face.
Ah! They’re far overestimating my strength.
It was probably because, though he failed, he had managed to open the Celestial Vault.
“It was… the Great Tiger Sword Sect…” he admitted reluctantly.
He explained that he had nearly lost his head to the second disciple of one of their elders.
[The Great Tiger Sword Sect?]
[Is that really the foremost sect of the current martial world?]
[That can’t be right.]
[When last we observed the lower realm, the most fearsome factions were still the Demon Sect and the Western Blood Sect.]
Yong-woon’s explanation grew more awkward.
“In truth…” he muttered, embarrassed.
From what he had seen, the Great Tiger Sword Sect’s standing wasn’t all that high—an elder of theirs had been openly handled without fear by a branch leader of the Beggar’s Union.
[Hmph!]
[Unbelievable…!]
The beings of the Vault fell silent for a long while, perhaps stunned.
Then, voices full of disbelief began to question him further.
[Boy, then what exactly is your martial prowess?]
[You opened the Celestial Vault, even if you failed—so surely you can at least unleash Sword of the Heart, yes?]
[With a single strike, you could cleave a hill, could you not?!]
Yong-woon’s jaw dropped.
Sword of the Heart?
And what was that about cleaving hills with a stroke?!
Damn it.
If he had that kind of strength, would he have nearly been decapitated by some Great Tiger Sword Sect brat in the first place?
[So you can’t wield the Sword of the Mind either?]
[No way…]
[No, judging by how he speaks, that’s probably the case.]
[Ha! You mean he’s only just broken through the wall to the “super-first class” realm?]
[Then at best he can do the “Two Blades as One” technique.]
[What two blades? Lower it further—perhaps the Wooden Sword… no, maybe only the Water Sword at best. Isn’t that right?]
[Hahaha! This is absurd—he can’t even do Wooden Sword, only Water Sword?!]
It was getting out of hand.
Right now, the only technique I can freely wield is the Three Elements Sword Style…
Of course, once he obtained the second half of the Grand Heaven Divine Art, things would change dramatically. Even finishing the Ultimate Principle Form he was currently devising would raise his inner power significantly.
But those were far-off goals.
[So not even Water Sword? No answer?]
[Then at least tell us—can you gather essence, energy, and spirit into one, binding it with your qi to unleash the force of a river?]
[That’s too harsh to ask!]
[Nonsense—of course he can, that’s as natural as breathing! Ask him something meaningful!]
[Don’t insult the boy. He’s one who has stepped into the Celestial Vault. To question him so is impolite.]
To Yong-woon, it was all salt on a wound.
“No, honored sirs!” he burst out, anger flaring.
“Why do you keep stabbing at my pride like this when you already know everything from up there?!”
He shouted, furious that they would keep needling him when surely they had seen the truth for themselves.
But then—
[Know everything? Hardly.]
The unexpected reply froze him.
[Foolish boy. You’re barely visible to us.]
[You forged a Heart-Mark, yes. You even set foot in the Vault, though you failed. But that doesn’t mean we can see you clearly.]
[You’re nothing but a hazy mist to us.]
[So when you light up your Heart-Mark, that’s the only time we can rush over and connect with you like this!]
Yong-woon was stunned.
So they can’t see me the way I can see them… like looking down at the lower world. That’s a relief.
He had thought they could observe his every secret without privacy.
At least I still have some personal space…
But relief was short-lived.
Blushing with shame, he confessed the truth of his situation.
“I have only trained in the first half of the Grand Heaven Divine Art—the inner power portion.
As a substitute, I’m trying to compile the Ultimate Principle Form, piecing together the best from martial manuals I’ve collected while traveling the martial world.
As for techniques, the one I am most confident in… is the Three Elements Sword Style.”
He forced himself to state it with resolve, even though his face burned with embarrassment.
[So only the Three Elements Sword Style?]
[Hah! I’m speechless…]
[Exactly!]
Their disappointment poured down like rain.
[Where do we even begin with this boy?]
[I can’t think of a plan…]
[Do you remember how we started?]
[It’s been over three hundred years—I barely recall.]
[Same here. After so long using innate energy like breathing, it’s hard to remember being a tadpole…]
Fortunately, disappointment gave way to something else.
The voices that had always scolded him as foolish suddenly suggested something encouraging.
[Well? Are we just going to mope? Better to teach him something—anything!]
That was exactly why Yong-woon had tried to connect with them in the first place: to beg for guidance, to learn even a single useful technique.
Thank you, honored sirs!
His heart swelled with premature gratitude.
But reality was cruel.
[Hah, but if we teach him, will he even understand?]
[This boy’s only got the Three Elements Sword! At least he should know the Sword Projection technique…]
[Even if we share our insights, what good is it if he can’t grasp them?]
Their words made his face burn hotter and hotter.
I was once called a genius in my youth, and now I’m being treated like a dullard?!
His pride rebelled.
“Whether I understand or not—you should teach me first! You can mock me after that!” he shouted.
I can do it.
He had already stepped into the Celestial Vault with only half the Grand Heaven Divine Art.
Teach me anything, and I’ll master it. I’ll prove you wrong!
[Pfft! So you have to taste the dung yourself before you’ll believe it’s not bean paste?]
The scathing remark hit him, but he didn’t back down.
“Even that would be an experience! A stepping stone to overcome the walls before me!”
That struck a chord. The Vault fell silent for a moment.
[Hmph… perhaps he’s not a complete fool after all.]
[Indeed. If he remembers what we say, those words could be stepping stones in time.]
For the first time, hopeful voices emerged.
[Then let’s try putting it simply.]
[Forget it—whether he understands or not, let’s start with the bare minimum.]
[But how simple do we make it?]
[From the very basics?]
[Ha! Easier said than done.]
[Still, he carries a sword. We should focus on swordsmanship, yes?]
[What difference does it make? Teach him saber techniques too!]
[Bah! Don’t forget my specialty is fist arts!]
[And mine is palm strikes. Leave those out, and I’ll be offended!]
In the end, they argued to each push their own specialties—sword, saber, fist, palm, finger techniques.
What is this, “we didn’t know what you’d like, so we brought everything”?!
Still, the one that drew him most was, of course, the sword.
His father had always said:
“When you learn the second half of the Grand Heaven Divine Art, you mustn’t be hindered by bad habits. Train in the most fundamental, upright forms.”
That was why he had focused on the Three Elements Sword Style, and it had become second nature to him.
So yes—swordsmanship would be best.
But the Vault cared nothing for his personal dilemma. They reached their own conclusion.
[Let’s just throw everything at him and see what sticks.]
[True. Who knows what talent he has?]
So be it.
Still, let me start with sword techniques…
Yong-woon quickly interjected.
“I already know the Three Elements Sword Style.”
He only said he knew it, yet the reply was explosive.
[Pfft! You know it? You?!]
[Then can you, with Taesan-apjeong, Sweeping Armies, or Eight Directions Storm, cleave a hill in one stroke?]
He froze—then bristled.
“That’s because your inner power is immeasurable! Mine is weak! If my qi were vast as the heavens, I too could split a hill with the Three Elements Sword!”
But their response crushed him.
[Without inner power, you should still be able to slice through a ten-thousand-year boulder with ease.]
[If you truly understood it, that’s what it would do. So don’t claim knowledge so lightly, boy.]
It was as if someone had struck him on the back of the head.
If I truly understood it… then I could do that? Really?
The Three Elements Sword he knew was just a simple, straightforward form.
And yet—
[To truly “know” something means to grasp the principles hidden within it.]
[When you know one, you connect to ten; when you connect to ten, you comprehend the myriad. At that point, a ten-thousand-year boulder is nothing.]
[So never boast of knowing lightly. That false confidence will become the wall that blocks your path.]
The teaching pierced him to the core.
Then—
[This is how we’ll do it. He seems at least familiar with the Three Elements Sword, so let’s use that to build his foundation.]
[Not a bad idea.]
[Indeed. It’s one of the best for solidifying basics. I agree.]
[As do I. And though imperfect, he does have a rudimentary inner sight. If he works hard, he might begin to see.]
And so, the decision was made.
[Boy. For now, devote yourself wholly to the Three Elements Sword Style.]
That would be his training—for the time being.
