I already knew that void manipulation was possible.
However, moving a sword right in front of you and moving a sword from such a great distance were two entirely different matters.
The hall buzzed with murmurs.
“Such a level…”
“Incredible…”
But the next action of the Master left everyone, including Jin Cheon-hee, even more astonished.
Another sword flew in.
And then another, and yet another.
In total, five swords floated in front of the Master.
The Master, Zhuge Lin, took one of the swords and began to dance a sword dance in rhythm with the music.
The sword energy, imbued with the essence of the Five Elements, gathered at the tip of the sword.
Zhuge Lin spoke, “They say lightning brings fortune.”
A blue lightning aura condensed at the tip of Zhuge Lin’s sword.
It was as if he was drawing the realm of selflessness, as the lightning slowly spread its light in all directions.
It was a miraculous sight.
The head of the Acupuncture Hall, who was watching, let out a groan. “Lightning is clearly a force that embodies speed and sharpness, so how is it possible to channel it so slowly?”
Even Jin Cheon-hee couldn’t understand it.
What was even more astonishing was that the remaining four swords each followed the Master’s movements, drawing their own graceful lines.
The music continued.
Everyone was speechless at the terrifying genius on display.
When the Master finally finished his dance, a pattern was etched into the stone floor.
What kind of realm had allowed him to create such a thing? Was it truly possible to move five swords at once and scatter lightning like that?
It wasn’t just a matter of moving the left and right hands in different directions.
Was it possible to move them with just the mind? How could one wield the mysteries of lightning, combining weight and lightness?
Zhuge Lin casually threw out these profound questions and then said, “Cheon-hee, this is for you.”
It was a dragon.
The dragon drawn with sword energy was so majestic that it seemed as if it might writhe and leap out at any moment.
To carve a disciple’s nickname with sword energy in front of everyone!
Jin Cheon-hee’s face flushed with embarrassment. “Master!”
“Hmm, do you not like the drawing?”
Indeed.
The Master, who was already known for doting on his disciple, had now upgraded his health and showed even more of his doting nature.
Jin Cheon-hee wished he could crawl into a mouse hole.
The heads of the various halls were all in a flurry. “The majestic dragon resembles the Little White Dragon.”
“Truly, you are the head of the hall. You drew it with a single stroke.”
“To draw with sword energy—this will be a topic of discussion in the martial world.”
“Congratulations on reaching such a high realm!”
If Jin Cheon-hee could die of embarrassment, he would have already bitten his tongue and perished. ‘Ugh.
By next week, there won’t be a single person in the martial world who hasn’t heard of this.’
Jin Cheon-hee’s prediction was wrong.
The next day, a letter arrived from the King of Zhou.
It was a letter insisting that he must come to see the drawing! The trembling handwriting at the end made it clear that he had written it while laughing.
016. Welcoming Guests (1)
A few days after the banquet, countless gifts poured into the White Scale Medical Hall.
They were all congratulatory gifts for the head of the hall’s recovery.
The Master skimmed through a few letters with a nonchalant expression.
Jin Cheon-hee, with a bright expression, said, “Everyone is congratulating you, Master.”
To this, the Master replied, “Cheon-hee, in the martial world, there’s nothing scarier than a tiger returning healthy. Those who thought I was on my deathbed will soon pick up their swords.”
“Huh?”
“They thought the heavens would kill me, but since that didn’t happen, they’ll try to kill me with their swords.” The Master smiled coldly. “Of course, there are also those who never believed I was sick in the first place.”
“Everyone in the martial world knows that you’ve had the Nine Yin Meridian Block since you were young.”
“That’s true. But, Cheon-hee, there are those who believe what they want to believe.”
For a conversation during a congratulatory gift unboxing, it was quite grim.
Jin Cheon-hee shook his head.
Seeing his disciple like this, Zhuge Lin chuckled. “Still, martial artists are martial artists. They wouldn’t stoop so low as to mix something strange into a recovery gift.”
“You’re not fully recovered yet. We’ve only managed to prevent a sudden death and restore some of your strength. The congenital Nine Yin Meridian Block is still…”
“That’s right, Cheon-hee. In the martial world, that’s called a recovery. As long as I can swing my sword with all four limbs intact, that’s recovery enough.”
‘…I see.’
Now, the Master’s head-crushing function was back to normal.
Just the sword dance he showed a while ago was a level unseen before.
“Gifts from benefactors and enemies will come mixed together.”
“How do you tell them apart? By the price of the gift?”
“Hmm…” The Master rubbed his temple. “In principle, there’s no need to distinguish.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, the Master just smiled.
Then, out of the blue, he said, “Cheon-hee, in the martial world, strength is the principle.”
Jin Cheon-hee nodded at this.
He knew it in his head, and now he knew it in his body too.
Thanks to the bounty placed on him by the Hao Gate, he had learned just how much strength dictated in the martial world.
Zhuge Lin said to Jin Cheon-hee, “When you wield the sword, don’t let emotions cloud it. A swordsman must be ruthless, and you think differently from other martial artists. That’s what worries me.”
“Master.”
“No matter how precious something is, the moment it points a sword at you, it becomes something you must cut down. Cheon-hee, we are martial artists before we are healers.”
Martial healers.
It was a truly peculiar position.
They had never taken the Hippocratic Oath from the start.
The Medical Hall itself was a faction, and it operated as such.
As healers, they followed the minimum moral code of saving lives.
But since they lived in the martial world, each hall had its own principles, and the principle of the strong ruling still applied.
Healers who walked the line between life and death.
In a way, they were one of the most unique existences in the martial world.
‘Perhaps I’m still too arrogant to find the answer.’
Jin Cheon-hee had never seen the true depths of what the martial world called “humanity.”
The Master said, “Cheon-hee, promise me this. No matter what happens, prioritize your life above all else.”
“I would do that even if you didn’t say so.”
“Really? My thoughts are a bit different.” The Master chuckled softly.
For some reason, his laughter seemed to pierce through Jin Cheon-hee’s skin and see right into his heart.
Feeling a bit uneasy, Jin Cheon-hee scratched his neck. “Answer.”
“I will prioritize my life above all else. I promise.”
“Good. This Master can rest a little easier now.”
It was hard to tell if he was truly at ease or not.
Zhuge Lin said, “Now that they know this Zhuge has escaped the Heavenly Punishment, many will move. You must act wisely amidst it all.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” The Master lowered his eyelashes and smiled.
His face was beautiful, enough to make one forget the terrifying martial bones of his 190cm frame.
“Then pick out the gift you want.”
“Huh?”
“No one will say anything if a master gives a gift to his disciple. That precious Thousand Silkworm Thread has arrived, and the Ice Spirit Sword from the North Sea Ice Palace has also come.”
“The Ice Spirit Sword?”
“Your eyes light up at the mention of a sword.” Zhuge Lin seemed pleased by Jin Cheon-hee’s reaction. “It’s a sword made from North Sea Cold Iron. Even though it’s made of metal, it carries the aura of ice, giving off a chill. It’s also good for utilizing the Five Elements’ ice energy.”
Jin Cheon-hee asked, “Can I learn the sword?”
“Spear techniques were only prepared to protect you. Ultimately, the most versatile weapon is the sword. Of course, you can learn it. If you master the sect’s martial arts to the extreme, you can wield ten thousand weapons and even become the greatest under heaven.”
The phrase “greatest under heaven” was something most martial sects in wuxia novels claimed.
Martial arts with hundreds, or even thousands, of years of history.
The pride they had built up over that time was something that couldn’t be replaced by anything.
‘The claim of being able to wield ten thousand weapons is true.’
Even the Three Talents Sword Technique changes endlessly depending on the weapon held.
‘That’s why it endlessly demands boring basics.
Well, if you plan to learn it half-heartedly, becoming the greatest under heaven is impossible.’
The Master, who had been moving his brush, used void manipulation to pull out the Ice Spirit Sword and tossed it to Jin Cheon-hee.
Thud— The hilt felt cold.
Even though it was wrapped with the leather of some unknown precious beast, the chill seeped into his hand.
“Master, you shouldn’t use this.”
“That’s right. Even though the inner elixir of the Ten Thousand Year Fire Lotus is functioning, it’s best to stay away from cold energy.”
“Then why…?”
“It’s a matter of gratitude and grudges.” The Master stopped there and didn’t elaborate.
Instead, he stuffed a rice cake into Jin Cheon-hee’s mouth.
“…”
As Jin Cheon-hee chewed the cake and frowned, the Master laughed, amused.
Then he said, “In the past, I killed the successor of the North Sea Palace Lord. At the same time, I also treated the people of the North Sea Palace. The North Sea Palace Lord said this: ‘My gratitude and grudges reach the heavens, so I will wait for the Heavenly Punishment to end.’”
“So he thought you would die from the Nine Yin Meridian Block and left it at that.”
“Treating the people of the North Sea Palace was a grateful deed, but it’s hard to forget the grudge of killing his son. And that answer is likely embedded in that sword.”
Jin Cheon-hee drew the Ice Spirit Sword from its sheath.
Ssshh— The cold blade, as if imbued with ice, had a beautiful snowflake pattern engraved on it.
The pattern was only visible when light shone on it and one looked closely.
The Master said, “It becomes clearer when it drinks blood.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because it’s the sword the North Sea Palace Lord’s successor carried. I returned it to the Palace Lord along with his son’s body.”
“…”
It was heavy.
The weight of this sword was far too heavy.
As Jin Cheon-hee’s complexion paled, the Master spoke calmly. “It’s a peerless treasure. North Sea Cold Iron is a peerless treasure. It’s too precious to let rot in a warehouse.”
“This is a bit…”
“There’s nothing better than this to save your life.”
As always, the Master had a strange, otherworldly sensibility.
“Thank you… Master.”
“Hahaha, and also. It’s hard to see it purely as a grudge.”
“Why?”
“At that time, the Palace Lord said he would pray for the Heavenly Punishment to end, but he didn’t say what he would do after it ended.”
‘You sent the sword his son used, Master.
Normally, they’d come to kill you, right…?’
As if reading Jin Cheon-hee’s expression, the Master said, “I told you, didn’t I? It’s meaningless to distinguish gratitude and grudges through gifts. If they bring their grudges to our sect, we’ll just make them pay the price. Hahaha.”
It was a statement only the strong could make.