Chapter 61: The Fall of Plum Blossom Dragon (4)
Crunch.
I stepped hard onto the grass-covered ground with my feet.
Slowly, I gathered my strength in my lower limbs. Starting from the soles of my feet, I moved up to my ankles, then calves, thighs, and finally, my waist.
I carefully distributed strength to every part of my lower body, step by step.
For martial artists, whether wielding a sword, fighting with fists, or even those skilled in archery, grounding in the lower body is essential.
It means they must be centered, after all.
Once I was satisfied with my strength distribution, I took a deep breath and prepared to unleash my energy.
Whoosh-!
Flames surged upward from my body.
I immediately restrained the flames from getting wild.
Excessive power is basically like having none at all.
The Fire Wheel Technique slowly began to spin within me.
As a result, a ring of flames formed around my body, entwined like fiery ribbons.
[Not yet.]
At Elder Shin’s words, I exhaled more heat and accelerated the spinning speed of the flame ring.
Whoosh!
I felt my energy rapidly escaping from me.
At the same time, the temperature of the flame ring intensified.
[Not yet.]
With the second instruction, the flames grew stronger, but I needed to control the intensity carefully to avoid damaging my surroundings.
Such training would prove invaluable for condensing and releasing flames during real battles in the future.
As I maintained this level of rotation, I sensed my internal energy tapping somewhere inside me.
It was at the dantian.
‘…I can feel it.’
I couldn’t help but feel absurdly surprised.
Rough martial arts bring incredible destructive power, but the path to mastery is rarely smooth. If I hadn’t absorbed the energy from the treasure, I probably wouldn’t have reached the 4th realm as a result.
Yet, my energy was already reaching my dantian.
[That’s enough.]
Nodding at Elder Shin’s words, I realized I simply touched it, as he said.
I shouldn’t recklessly try to force it open.
I could hear Elder Shin chuckling, equally amazed as I was at this realization.
[Truly, the fact that your qi has reached the dantian already… Such monstrous talent sends chills down my spine.]
Talent? To Elder Shin, my state may seem the result of talent, but only I understand that this was purely due to my past experiences.
For martial artists, reaching the peak involves opening the dantian to sense the qi flowing through.
If one lacks enough qi, they can’t open it, and even if they happen to do so, if they are unable to endure the overwhelming force inside afterward, their dantian would explode.
The tricky part is, even if one is prepared, without the right understanding, they might not reach it.
Even if they can open it at will, being unprepared makes an enormous difference.
“Phew…”
The flame ring surrounding me had finally reached the same level as when I faced Yung Pung the night before.
The start of the 4th realm.
Maintaining this level was beginning to affect my surroundings.
I started pondering how much longer I should sustain this.
[That’s enough.]
Upon Elder Shin’s cue, I retracted my energy back into my body.
I stopped the flow of qi, but the lingering heat caused steam to rise from me.
“How do I look?”
[This is currently your limit.]
Hmm, just about yesterday’s standard.
I suddenly wondered what I had been up to just now.
As Elder Shin pulled my energy from me, something inside started to stir, as though testing its limits since daybreak.
After checking, I found I could muster enough energy to my arms, but anything beyond that seemed too ambitious for now.
“…Hmm.”
Considering various possibilities, I couldn’t find a real solution.
Will reaching Mount Hua present me with an answer? I was still unsure.
Yet, there didn’t seem to be any other option. I would have to just head there and see.
[You still worry for no good reason, just go and find out. You might discover something.]
Elder Shin’s words rang true.
I knew that worrying alone wouldn’t get me anywhere.
With a habit of overthinking every scenario since everywhere I went led to something chaotic, I brushed off the dust from my attire and considered doing a little gentle training.
Suddenly, I sensed someone approaching from behind.
I turned to see who it was, and luckily, it was a familiar face.
“Young Master, did you sleep well last night?”
It was Yung Pung, sporting a refreshing smile.
[Whoa…]
Elder Shin exclaimed in surprise, my reaction mirroring his.
I had feared that he might still be sulking from the previous night’s defeat…
Yet, Yung Pung stood before me, looking as if he had completely forgotten it all.
Did he move past the defeat already? Or did it not bother him at all?
[What do you think?]
Elder Shin’s rhetorical question prompted a frown on my face.
We both knew the answer. Yung Pung had swiftly organized his thoughts overnight.
He might not have figured everything out, but I sensed a newfound calmness in both his energy and expression.
‘This is why I dislike geniuses…’
I genuinely found them irritating.
Whether he understood my sentiments or not, Yung Pung bowed his head to me.
“Master Yung Pung…?”
“Thank you.”
“What’s this sudden statement?”
Awkwardly, he offered a hesitant smile.
“I realized through your lesson… though I still don’t quite know why you aimed to teach me.”
[Wow, wow!]
Could you just keep quiet for now? My sour expression was nearing a grimace.
“…Young Master?”
Surprised by my change in demeanor, Yung Pung addressed me again, but my feelings weren’t lifted.
While I did genuinely mean to help him, I hadn’t anticipated he would change so drastically overnight.
Moreover, he showed no hesitation in bowing to someone younger.
Feeling this sincere gratitude from him only added to my discomfort.
Of course, I had no guarantee that gratitude alone would help him surpass the challenges waiting in his future,
But he certainly stood a better chance than before.
That I knew for certain.
My stomach twisted painfully.
It hurt quite a bit.
While some work hard day and night… even risking death to gain strength…
But this guy stumbled upon enlightenment just because he lost a duel? In just one night? I was bubbling with irritation inside.
[Kid.]
‘…Yes.’
[You really seem petty for fretting about this.]
‘…’
Tsk.
Suppressing my inner turmoil, I spoke to Yung Pung.
“I didn’t intend it that way… but I’m glad you managed to gain something.”
Yung Pung returned my words with a smile.
If Namgung Cheonjun gave me the creeps with his dark aura, then Yung Pung radiated a refreshing one.
He had talent, a handsome appearance, and a fine character…
Yeah, I definitely don’t like this guy.
[…This is the end of days.]
“…I embarrassingly thought I was the greatest prodigy in existence, but dueling you revealed a world far wider than I imagined.”
Yung Pung’s thoughts had grains of truth in them.
While Gu Huibi is renowned as the greatest prodigy of our times, due to the age disparity, it made sense for Yung Pung to think of himself as the best.
“You must have put in unimaginable efforts to reach this point.”
I felt he had mistakenly concluded something about my hard work, but it wasn’t the right moment to clarify.
After all, I couldn’t exactly say it was all because I had regressed, could I…?
So I simply let him assume what he wished.
“I can’t merely thank you with words… If you find yourself needing anything, I’ll fulfill your requests.”
“A request?”
I could ask something from Mount Hua’s greatest prodigy—the Sword Dragon…
In that moment, something surged to mind as Yung Pung offered.
There was one thing I needed from him, so it was an opportune moment.
“Oh, then Master Yung Pung, can I ask you something?”
“Oh…? Feel free to ask me anything, just not any secrets of the sect…”
“No, it’s not anything that big…”
What secrets? What would I even do with that?
[For something like that? You little…!]
“Master Yung Pung, I wanted to inquire…,”
“Yes!”
“…Which generation is the current head of your sect?”
“…Huh?”
[…Huh?]
“I was simply curious about that…”
I recalled Elder Shin’s question regarding the current head of Mount Hua’s generation.
Since there hadn’t been any chance to ask directly, it was a forgotten detail, but with this opportunity…
“Pardon…?”
Yung Pung seemed struck dumb, his facial expression bewildered.
He repeated my question, ensuring he hadn’t misheard.
“…That’s your request?”
“Yes, indeed.”
“…Oh.”
Yung Pung looked as if his soul had left his body.
What’s going on with him?
Isn’t this an easier request?
‘Did I ask something strange?’
I couldn’t help but glance at Elder Shin, observing Yung Pung acting strangely.
After a prolonged silence, Elder Shin finally spoke.
[Don’t bother me; you’re embarrassing me.]
…Wait, why?
Ultimately, Yung Pung complied with my request, though his expression was still bemused.
The current head was from the 16th generation.
He also mentioned this wouldn’t count as a formal request and insisted I ask anything next time I needed.
I agreed since that was a benefit for me.
After the duel with the Sword Dragon, if there was something that bothered me, it was how much attention I drew from the members of the Mount Hua Sect.
Though Yung Pung was still inexperienced, before becoming the Sword Dragon, he remained a Plum Blossom Swordsman.
Yet, I had thoroughly beaten him in our duel.
A boy with much potential for growth.
While I expected this reaction, the attention was much more intense than I anticipated.
“Did Yung Pung really fall to the ground? By that kid?”
“I still can’t quite believe it myself. He was utterly wrecked during their duel.”
“I heard he broke his arm.”
“I think he broke his legs too.”
“But Yung Pung was walking perfectly before…”
“Then forget it.”
“…Did you see the fight at all?”
Weird rumors indeed began to circulate, but I believed they would soon dissipate as it was a mere spar. Nothing significant.
…Most likely.
From what I understood, after finishing lunch, we would start heading back to Shaanxi.
Thanks to that, I had ample time to conduct a few experiments, which wasn’t too bad.
I noticed members of the Gu Clan preparing a meal from afar.
Since it was going to be a long journey, nothing extravagant was cooked up.
However, as long as I could fill my belly, I had no qualms about it.
“…Huh?”
Yet, as I approached closer, I sensed something peculiar about the atmosphere.
Namgung Bi-ah had blended in seamlessly with our group, while Wi Seol-Ah sat beside her, nibbling on some food.
Though I’d suggested she eat ahead if she felt like it, the important detail was this:
Wi Seol-Ah was ‘nibbling’ her food.
‘…Is she unwell?’
Could she possibly be seriously sick?
Namgung Bi-ah, too, seemed aware of the strangeness, her eyes occasionally flickering anxiously.
However, she remained silent; just focusing on her meal.
As Namgung Bi-ah’s chopsticks approached a morsel of food,
Wi Seol-Ah suddenly swooped in and seized it away.
Uh…so she’s not sick, maybe?
Thinking I’d dodged a bullet there, I was soon met with another problem, as whenever Namgung Bi-ah attempted to grab something, Wi Seol-Ah would snatch it right out of her hands.
After some back-and-forth, a question mark popped above Namgung Bi-ah’s head.
“…??”
She tilted her head, visibly puzzled about what Wi Seol-Ah was doing.
Namgung Bi-ah hesitated for a moment before nodding and quickly grabbing something with her chopsticks.
This time, Wi Seol-Ah was just a split second too slow.
Her expression shifted to sheer shock, not believing she’d failed to steal food for once.
Nevertheless, Namgung Bi-ah offered the food to Wi Seol-Ah instead of eating it herself.
“Do you want to eat it…?”
Uh, it seems highly unlikely that she’s doing this out of hunger…
Namgung Bi-ah appeared completely unbothered by the antics of Wi Seol-Ah.
At Wi Seol-Ah’s reaction, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.
“Y-You’re such a dummy! Sis!”
With that shout, she dashed away.
Yet, she was quickly snagged by Hongwa, insisting that she help with the laundry.
…What’s going on?
I felt like I had stumbled upon some sort of absurd play.
Holding chopsticks, Namgung Bi-ah turned her head towards me, as if seeking an explanation for what just transpired, which I honestly couldn’t provide…
“…Don’t look at me like that; I’m at a loss too.”
I mulled over why Wi Seol-Ah was behaving so bizarrely, but nothing came to mind.
Oh, could it be… puberty?
[Oh dear, this foolish child.]
Elder Shin’s snark echoed in my head, but as I was accustomed to his remarks, I just brushed it off.
Later, as we continued our journey to Shaanxi,
I found it slightly bothersome that Wi Seol-Ah was sticking unusually close to me today.
…But I realized that pushing her away might genuinely hurt her feelings, so I chose to remain quiet.
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