Chapter 8

Yeon Cheon-baek was willing to do anything for Yeon Woo-jin. He could even give up his position as the Lord of Mushincheon with a smile. While Yeon Cheon-baek was guiding the flow of energy with a faint smile on his face, he sensed something strange. The medicinal energy should have been absorbed into the dantian, but instead, it was all being drawn into the head. ‘Huh? The energy isn’t supposed to gather in the head!’ The energy should have flowed into the dantian and transformed into internal energy, but it was heading entirely toward the head. He forcibly redirected the energy’s flow toward the dantian, but by then, most of it had already been absorbed into the head. The internal energy that settled in the dantian amounted to only twenty years’ worth. It should have stored one hundred and twenty years’ worth of internal energy, but a hundred years’ worth had been siphoned off to the head. “Hooah!” Woo-jin exhaled, and the remnants of the absorbed energy escaped as wisps of white smoke. He opened his eyes with a refreshed expression and beamed at Yeon Cheon-baek. “My head kept hurting, but now I feel so much better.” “H-Hurting?” “Yes.” “You should have told me, you rascal.” “I didn’t want you to worry, Grandpa.” Yeon Cheon-baek’s heart sank. Just moments ago, he had been analyzing why the medicinal energy had concentrated in the head, but now he felt nothing but relief. ‘It’s fine. I’ll just get him another Mushin Golden Pill.’ To Yeon Cheon-baek, Woo-jin’s health mattered far more than some Mushin Golden Pill. If the people of Mushincheon had heard this, they would have been in an uproar. But they wouldn’t dare oppose him. Yeon Cheon-baek’s fists were terrifying. “From now on, if you feel any pain, you must tell me immediately. Understand?” Yeon Woo-jin responded with a spirited nod as Yeon Cheon-baek patted his head. “Yes, Grandpa!” Such a good boy. No matter what Woo-jin did, Yeon Cheon-baek found him utterly lovable. ***** Whoosh— Swish-swish. Yeon Woo-jin moved with light, fluid steps. His wooden sword, as if it had rediscovered its freedom, danced wildly, moving wherever it pleased. “Baekyeong Jeongwang Sword!” Whirl— Swish— Woo-jin’s wooden sword split into dozens of shadows, attacking the wooden dummy before him. Tatatatak— Woo-jin stared at it with wide-eyed amazement. “Wow! Mister Jeok Seong! Did you see that? I just pulled off the Baekyeong Jeongwang Sword!” “Hahaha! I saw it! Congratulations, Young Master!” “Hehe! Thank you!” Woo-jin waved his wooden sword around excitedly, marveling at it. “Internal energy is so amazing. My body feels so light, and no matter how much I swing the sword, I don’t feel tired. And the best part is that my body moves exactly how I want it to.” “That’s why martial artists value internal energy so much. Now, Young Master, you must continue to train diligently and gather even more internal energy.” “Yes!” Jeok Seong looked at Woo-jin with warm, affectionate eyes. Without realizing it, Woo-jin had become precious to him as well. Excited, Woo-jin kept swinging his wooden sword nonstop. Yeon Cheon-baek had left early in the morning to handle some business. Lately, he had been busy dealing with the matter of Mushincheon’s successor. Jeok Seong had been a bit surprised when he first heard about the successor issue. After all, Yeon Cheon-baek was still strong and healthy. But Jeok Seong nodded in agreement after hearing Yeon Cheon-baek’s reasoning. —“I plan to hand it over quickly so I can spend my remaining years enjoying life with Woo-jin.” Such reasoning made sense. Still, Yeon Cheon-baek wouldn’t just pick anyone carelessly. To properly lead Mushincheon, the strongest faction, strength was the most critical factor. It was questionable whether any martial artist could meet the standards Yeon Cheon-baek had set. Meanwhile, Yeon Woo-jin had fallen into a trance as he swung his wooden sword. At that moment, he felt the same sensation in his head as when he had moved the wooden sword before. The only difference this time was that his head didn’t hurt. It felt comfortable. Could he perhaps handle that mysterious phenomenon more easily now? Curious, Woo-jin stared at the wooden sword he was holding. Buzzzzz— The wooden sword began to tremble. ‘Float.’ Whoosh— It floated up far more smoothly and naturally than before. Yet, there was no pain in his head. ‘Toward Mr. Jeok Seong.’ Swish— The wooden sword shot toward Jeok Seong at high speed. “W-What?!” Jeok Seong flinched and stepped back in shock as the wooden sword suddenly flew toward him. ‘Chase him!’ As Woo-jin willed it, the wooden sword chased after Jeok Seong. “W-What is this?!” Jeok Seong quickly used light footwork (Gyeonggong) to sharply change directions. But the wooden sword twisted mid-air and continued to pursue him. Realizing that Woo-jin was controlling the wooden sword, Jeok Seong shouted urgently. “Young Master! What are you doing?!” Calling out to Woo-jin, Jeok Seong kicked the wooden sword away. The sword spun mid-air but quickly stabilized and flew toward him again. He had felt it when he kicked it earlier. But Jeok Seong blocked it effortlessly. Woo-jin’s face fell in disappointment. Jeok Seong, too, looked slightly let down. It had looked impressive at first glance. Against ordinary people, it would have seemed overwhelming. Most would panic and flee the moment they saw a floating sword or arrow, claiming it was the work of spirits. But against martial artists? It could be easily blocked. Jeok Seong turned to Woo-jin, whose face clearly showed his discouragement. He immediately regretted it. Woo-jin needed confidence, not doubt. Jeok Seong quickly spoke up. “Don’t be too discouraged. This is your first attempt, isn’t it? No one becomes a master overnight. What’s important is steady progress.” “Really?” “Of course! Think about just a few days ago. Back then, all you could do was barely make the wooden sword move. And look at you now. You’re making it fly around freely. With more practice and refinement, you’ll definitely get stronger.” “Mr. Jeok Seong is right! I’ll keep training hard and make sure I get stronger!” “That’s the spirit! And I’ll be right here helping you every step of the way!” “Thank you!” “Hahaha! Don’t mention it. To celebrate the awakening of your special ability today, I’ll make us an amazing feast.” “Wow! Everything you cook is delicious!” “Haha! Thank you! I’ll put even more effort into it today.” “Yay! I can’t wait!” Jeok Seong smiled warmly as he watched Woo-jin’s energy and excitement return. ***** That night. Under a sky filled with countless stars, Yeon Woo-jin was organizing his thoughts. ‘It moves as I imagine it, and it manifests as I will it.’ How far did this ability extend? He was curious. Woo-jin extended his index finger. “Fire.” Fwoosh— A small flame flickered to life at his fingertip. Ting— He flicked it away and spoke again. “Ice.” Crack— Tatat— The fire froze solid mid-air and dropped to the ground. This time, he opened his palm. “Lightning.” Crackle— Tiny arcs of electricity danced across his palm. What if he combined it with fire? “Fire.” Fwoosh— Crackle— The flames merged with the lightning. ‘What if I add internal energy to this?’ He immediately channeled his Qi into the fire-lightning combination. Bzzzz— The sphere grew larger, crackling ominously with raw power. He could feel the increase in its strength just by looking at it. How powerful was it? His eyes settled on a nearby rock. Ssshhh— Woo-jin pressed the crackling energy orb against the stone. Sizzle— A charred imprint of his palm appeared, etched with delicate, branch-like streaks of lightning. Small cracks also formed along the surface of the rock. It was stronger than he expected. ‘If my internal energy increases and I reach a higher level, this ability should grow even more powerful.’ A surge of hope swelled within him—the hope that he could become stronger. Woo-jin clenched his fist tightly and looked up at the night sky. A shooting star streaked past the endless sea of stars. As he gazed at it, he wondered. What exactly was this ability? Neither Grandpa nor Jeok Seong seemed to recognize it. Just a few days ago, using this power had left him with splitting headaches. But now? There was no pain at all. Not since he took the sacred pill that Yeon Cheon-baek had given him. He kept thinking, but eventually, he shook his head. Would he find answers by overthinking something no one seemed to understand? Instead, he decided to view it as a gift—a special ability granted to him by the heavens. He would develop it. He would grow stronger. And he would make his grandfather proud. Woo-jin knew. He knew his grandfather was strong. And that he admired strength. Even though his grandfather loved him deeply despite his weakness, Woo-jin wanted to bring him joy. He would work hard. For his grandfather’s sake. ‘Alright! I’ll keep experimenting with this ability.’