Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 10: Namcheon Iron Sword (2)

Setting aside the unsettling feeling I had moments ago, I definitely heard a voice.

I hadn't heard a thing when I held other weapons, so why did a voice suddenly ring out the moment I grasped this iron sword?

The iron sword...?

I looked down at the So-dam Sword hanging at my waist.

Though it was only a short dagger, it was still a type of sword.

And the commonality between the So-dam Sword and this iron sword was...

A sword?

They were both swords.

The Voice of the Sword? A voice? Ha! That was it. That’s what it meant. That’s what Sword Heart meant.

Only then did I realize I had misunderstood the term.

Sword Heart.

I had simply accepted it as an abstract concept.

In martial arts manuals, descriptions are often more abstract and metaphorical than direct. I had assumed it was one of those cases.

It really was a Sword Heart.

The Sword Immortal, the man hailed as the greatest swordsman under heaven.

Because it was a secret legacy left behind by such a figure, I had assumed it contained some profound, hidden meaning and overcomplicated it.

So, I can only hear the voices of swords, not sabers or other weapons?

Given the Secret Records of the Sword Immortal and my current situation, it was certain that I could now hear the voices of swords.

In the end, it wasn't that the So-dam Sword was special...

-It’s you who became special.

A shiver ran down my spine at the dagger's words.

What had initially felt absurd now felt entirely different. The realization that I had gained such a unique power filled me with a surge of euphoria.

-Your mouth is going to rip from grinning so hard. Stop gloating and ask this guy.

The So-dam Sword rained on my procession.

Hey, I’ve lived a hard life; I should be allowed to enjoy this much.

Regardless, the dagger was right.

I won't get another chance like this.

I never imagined that being able to converse with a sword would be this useful.

-So, try to coax him.

I gripped the hilt of the iron sword ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠once more.

-Haaah...

"!!!"

I let go of the sword again.

As I thought, that skin-crawling sensation from before wasn't an illusion.

I heard a voice, one that sounded like a woman acting coquettishly in the heat of passion.

-Why are you letting something like that bother you?

...Something like that?

The problem was that it wasn't a woman's voice, but the gruff voice of a middle-aged man.

Imagine that voice whispering in your ear.

It wasn't just skin-crawling; it was enough to make me lose my mind. And not in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a good way.

So-dam.

-Yeah?

Can't you just ask him for me? I really can't do this.

As I spoke, my body trembling as if I were having a fit, the So-dam Sword let out a deep sigh and agreed to try talking to the iron sword.

However, the answer that came back was singular.

-He says if you want to know, you have to negotiate with him directly.

Negotiate?

Was this really something that required a negotiation?

I thought the So-dam Sword was peculiar, but this iron sword seemed like quite a handful as well.

...Tell him I'll negotiate if he stops making those weird noises.

-He says okay.

I felt uneasy, but I gripped the hilt again.

I heard a faint sound, like someone flaring their nostrils, but it seemed he was trying his best to hold it back.

-Forgive my rudeness upon our first meeting.

Fine.

-Ah... so you really can hear my voice?

The iron sword sounded amazed.

It reminded me of the So-dam Sword's reaction when it first realized I could hear it. Then again, what sword would have ever encountered a human who could understand their speech?

-I have committed another rudeness. I am the Namcheon Iron Sword. It is the name bestowed upon me by my late master.

It was unexpected.

I had been afraid to grab the sword again, but once we actually started talking, he seemed perfectly normal.

Perhaps influenced by his former master, the Namcheon Sword Guest Ho Jong-won, his manner of speech possessed the dignity one would expect from a Great Hero.

"My name is So Woon-hwi."

-I see. Woon-hwi. I am glad we have formed this bond. I heard you wish to know my master's Innate Heart Method.

The conversation was flowing much more smoothly than I had anticipated.

He even mentioned the name of the heart method. At this rate, it felt like I could learn it from him in no time.

That's right. I'm in a bit of a difficult situation right now. That's why I must learn your master's heart method.

-I know. I have been watching from the front.

Then this was even better.

I figured I could persuade him by using ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the upcoming duel against the twins trained by the Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon as justification.

If you've seen it, then you know...

Before I could even finish my sentence, he replied.

-I understand.

...You do?

-Yes. I will teach you.

What?

He accepted just like that.

Things were moving so fast that I was momentarily stunned.

-The honor of my master, the Namcheon Sword Guest, is at stake. If his martial arts are defeated because they were learned poorly, his honor will be tarnished. Woon-hwi.

Ha...

-Why do you sigh?

No, it's just... it's unexpected. I thought you'd be fiercely protective of your master's legacy. I didn't expect you to be so open-minded.

I had half-expected a reaction like: I cannot teach my great master's martial arts to someone like you, whose dantian is shattered.

-Amusing. However, I am a sword. By nature, I was born to be used. I can do nothing on my own. While my master's honor is important, I desire even less for my existence as a sword to lose its value.

This guy was cooler than I thought.

If he were a person instead of a sword, I would have wanted to respect him.

-And I wish for my master's martial arts to be passed down to future generations. That is my wish.

-Damn. This guy is too cool.

Even the So-dam Sword acknowledged him.

I felt relieved that things were going well. I had been slightly nervous when he mentioned a negotiation, but it seemed the Namcheon Iron Sword's desires and mine were perfectly aligned.

Just as I was rejoicing, the Namcheon Iron Sword's voice rang out.

-Now, shall we begin the negotiation?

What?

I was taken aback by his tone, which sounded as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Didn't you just say you wanted your master's martial arts to be passed down?

-That is a wish for my master.

So he had a separate wish for himself?

I heard that nostril-flaring sound in his voice again.

-I have been so lonely all this time. Haaah... I want... I want you to become my new master, to touch my hilt every day, to caress my blade...

Fwip!

At his skin-crawling request, I pulled my hand away from the hilt like a bolt of lightning.

It was a mistake.

Thinking he was cool, even for a moment, was a complete delusion.

The So-dam Sword must have been thinking the same thing, as it muttered:

-Do you just want to give up on the heart method?

In the end, after much dispute, the negotiation was concluded.

The condition was that I would become his new master.

I also set my own conditions. I told him that if he made those perverted, nostril-flaring breathing sounds or made any more weird requests to be touched, I would simply give up on the heart method and leave him behind.

Desperate, the Namcheon Iron Sword accepted my terms.

I can't believe I'm breaking a sweat just negotiating with a sword.

-Tell me about it.

The So-dam Sword agreed, sounding exhausted.

At any rate, with the negotiation successfully concluded, I focused my mind intently to feel the heart method as the Namcheon Iron Sword instructed.

-You must feel the Innate True Qi with your chest. My former master called that location in the center of the chest the Middle Dantian.

It was the first time I had heard of it.

I only knew of the Dantian as the place below the navel where one gathers Essence.

However, the Namcheon Iron Sword called that place the Lower Dantian.

If there's a Lower Dantian and a Middle Dantian, there must be an Upper Dantian too.

-My former master said the center of the forehead, above the space between the eyebrows, is the Upper Dantian.

What kind of energy do you gather in the Upper Dantian?

-I do not know.

He didn't even mention it? You must have watched him closely.

-He only said that the Upper Dantian is the realm of spiritual enlightenment.

The realm of enlightenment...

It was too abstract to grasp.

But solving the mystery of the Upper Dantian wasn't the priority right now. I had to be able to feel the Innate True Qi in my Middle Dantian. However, I couldn't quite get the hang of it.

Two shijin (four hours) had already passed.

-There is no need to overthink it. Innate True Qi is the primordial energy of life.

I know that.

But I didn't know how to feel that energy.

It was difficult because the sensation was entirely different from when I first formed Essence in my Dantian.

As I continued to struggle, the Namcheon Iron Sword spoke.

-If it is difficult to feel it through mental imagery, it may be faster to experience it through the five senses.

The five senses?

-The energy of life is most prominent in extreme situations or when one's life is in danger. If you feel a strength you couldn't normally muster, or a powerful heat rising from within your chest, that is the sensation of Innate True Qi.

I was startled by those words.

If Innate True Qi was easier to feel in times of crisis, then everything that crazy old man Hae Ak-cheon had forced me to do until now wasn't just for the sake of tormenting me.

Was it to develop my sense of Innate True Qi from the very beginning?

He was truly an enigma.

It was impossible to define him simply as eccentric.

-Do you think you understand?

I closed my eyes in silence and concentrated.

I recalled those moments to revive the sensations I had felt.

When I almost died after losing my footing while descending the cliff, when I struggled desperately to survive while hanging from the precipice, and the intense heat I felt when I consumed the Blood Drum...

Thump! Thump! Thump!

My heart began to beat wildly.

It felt as if the blood in my entire body was circulating at high speed.

Along with it, a hot energy surged from within my chest.

Ah!

I knew instinctively.

This hot energy coiled in my chest was the Innate True Qi.

As if reading the joy on my face, the Namcheon Iron Sword spoke.

-Congratulations. That is indeed Innate True Qi. You are more talented than I thought.

His praise made me feel good.

-Even my former master struggled for months to feel his Innate True Qi. To do it in just two shijin is truly remarkable.

Months?

I didn't realize it would have taken that long.

But in truth, it was hard to say I was exceptionally fast.

If you looked at it that way, I had spent two months suffering—climbing, descending, and hanging from cliffs—and had faced many life-threatening crises.

Taking that into account, there probably wasn't a huge difference between me and Ho Jong-won.

-Focus on the Innate True Qi.

Following the Namcheon Iron Sword's instructions, I concentrated on the hot energy in my chest.

Innate True Qi felt completely different from when I first formed internal energy. It was somehow more precise and of higher purity.

-You should feel a 'seed' of Innate True Qi about the size of a fingernail in your Middle Dantian.

Huh?

I questioned him.

-Can you not feel it? If so, it is unfortunate, but it seems your Innate True Qi is smaller than that of average people. But it is fine. Once you learn the Innate Heart Method, you can grow the seed...

That's not it.

-Hmm? What do you mean?

It was the exact opposite.

The Innate True Qi wasn't the size of a fingernail as he had said.

Rather, it was about the size of two finger joints put together.

-...That shouldn't be possible.

The Namcheon Iron Sword spoke in a tone of disbelief.

After muttering to himself about how strange it was, the Namcheon Iron Sword taught me a simple circulation method to send the Innate True Qi to other parts of my body.

-Guide the True Qi through the Geukmun point to the Naegwan point.

Like this?

As the Innate True Qi moved along the path he described, the hot energy gradually spread through my shoulder, down my arm, and to my wrist.

It had been so long that I thought I would never feel this sensation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠again; the emotion was profound.

-Try striking the cave wall with your fist.

I was curious too.

I wanted to see just how much power this level of Innate True Qi possessed.

"Whew."

I steadied my breathing.

Then, I threw a punch toward the wall.

BOOM!

At that moment, with a sharp cracking sound, the part of the cave wall my fist struck caved in about a finger's joint deep, and cracks spread out around it.

Ha!

The power exceeded my expectations so much that even I, the one who threw the punch, was left speechless.

The Namcheon Iron Sword muttered in awe.

-...It really was true.