Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Birth of the Primordial Return to One Divine Art
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After parting ways with Mu Cheol-gae, Yi Ho-chang was able to meet Mae Hyang, who had been waiting in the annex building.
Jo Jung-seon was tied up with work, so only Mae Hyang had come out first today.
"From today onward, I'm Mae Hyang, the one who will teach you martial arts, young hero."
"I'm Yi Ho-chang. Then I'll be in your care, Squad Leader."
"I'll be in your care as well."
The two exchanged proper bows in greeting, and the lesson began immediately.
However, before starting the lesson, Yi Ho-chang had a few curiosities and asked.
"So from now on, should I address you as Master instead of Squad Leader?"
"That's... call me whatever feels comfortable."
"Then I'll call you Master. But I've heard that in the martial world, when master and disciple formalize their bond, they perform the disciple's bow..."
At those words, Mae Hyang let out a small chuckle.
She knew exactly what Yi Ho-chang meant.
"If it's the nine prostrations ritual, there's no need to do it. The martial art I'll teach you isn't all that impressive."
"Even so, I've decided to call you Master—how could I not do it? Please allow me."
Mae Hyang refused several times, but she couldn't break Yi Ho-chang's stubbornness in the end.
So she proposed a suitable compromise.
"Since you're so insistent, I'll accept just one bow. We'll put meaning only in the fact that you've done the disciple's bow."
"Understood. Thank you for indulging my stubbornness."
Yi Ho-chang wasn't trying to curry favor with Mae Hyang by performing the bow.
The foundation of Go was etiquette.
No wonder parents sent their children to Go academies to teach them manners.
That was why Yi Ho-chang placed great importance on basic etiquette.
'Flexibility and etiquette are issues on different planes.'
Soon, Yi Ho-chang performed one bow, and Mae Hyang nodded, pulling a single sheet of paper from her bosom and holding it out.
"I don't need to explain why you must cultivate internal energy, right? The first thing you'll learn, young hero, is the internal art called Return to One Divine Art. So first, memorize the essentials of the Return to One Divine Art. You need to know the essentials to proceed to the next stage."
It was exactly as she said.
The paper had the essentials of the Return to One Divine Art written on it, and upon seeing them, Yi Ho-chang inwardly exclaimed in admiration without realizing it.
Not admiration for the content of the essentials.
Though clearly written in hanja, they strangely read as smoothly as if they were in Hangul.
'Amazing. Does the original owner of this body know hanja, or is this part of the gift from those old men?'
Whatever the case, it was a relief he didn't need to study hanja separately.
But were the essentials of internal arts usually this short?
Yi Ho-chang glanced over them quickly and then folded the paper again.
Seeing this, Mae Hyang tilted her head and asked.
"Do you perhaps not know how to read?"
"No, it's not that—I've memorized it all and folded it."
"You've memorized it all?"
"Yes."
At those words, Mae Hyang furrowed her brow.
All of it memorized?
She had just given him the paper?
But it was true.
To Yi Ho-chang, memorizing this much wasn't even worth calling memorization.
'Reviewing games after tournaments is standard fare, so this is nothing...'
After important matches, Go professionals usually reviewed the game. They needed to find their own flaws through review.
Thus, reviewing was extremely important; in the past, people would record moves on paper and have specialists review them, but recently they recorded videos too.
But Yi Ho-chang would memorize the entire game from start to finish for matches he deemed truly important.
Not on purpose at first.
He started memorizing because checking review sheets one by one was annoying, and it became habit, naturally boosting his memory.
Only later did he realize.
Few pros memorized like this, and his memory was exceptionally outstanding even among them.
But unaware of Yi Ho-chang's past, Mae Hyang couldn't believe it easily.
"Then recite it once verbally. I'll check if it's correct."
"Yes. First, the first essential of Return to One Divine Art is..."
Yi Ho-chang's recitation followed.
But the more he recited, the wider Mae Hyang's mouth opened.
Yi Ho-chang had truly memorized every essential.
'The Infinite Body, reproducing the Dragon Claw Palm, I knew he wasn't an ordinary child, but his mind is this sharp too...!'
A genius... no, perhaps Yi Ho-chang was a genius among geniuses?
She thought it entirely possible.
Thus, she decided to believe Yi Ho-chang's words unless there was good reason not to.
"...Impressive memory. Understood. Since you've memorized the essentials, let's proceed to circulation right away. Sit here and assume the cross-legged position."
Yi Ho-chang sat cross-legged on the annex floor. Then Mae Hyang sat behind him, placed her hand on his back, and said.
"I'll guide your energy and point out the acupoints, so try circulating once."
Soon, Mae Hyang's guidance began.
Yi Ho-chang closed his eyes, focused his senses, mobilized his internal perception, and began following her energy.
"Return to One Divine Art gathers all branches of internal energy into one, just like its name Return to One."
Like streams heading to the sea.
Like rain fallen becoming rain again after time.
Unifying the flow.
That was the mystery of Return to One Divine Art.
As Yi Ho-chang recited the essentials of Return to One Divine Art and began circulating, he first felt small branches intertwining, then a spiderweb spreading from his dantian throughout his body.
"Do you feel something, young hero?"
"Something like a spiderweb..."
"...!"
At those words, Mae Hyang's eyes widened like saucers.
Return to One Divine Art divided into three stages until great attainment.
First: Weaving the flow of internal energy.
Second: Forming a spiderweb shape.
Third: Finally forming a great circle.
'But he's already reached the second stage?'
Mae Hyang couldn't help but be utterly impressed by Yi Ho-chang's overwhelming talent.
Not only had he grasped the mystery of an advanced art others struggled even to sense, but he achieved in mere moments what should take years.
"Hoo..."
Mae Hyang unwittingly exhaled amid complex emotions.
But her admiration soon turned to curiosity.
She wanted to see with her own eyes how much more amazing this genius before her could be.
Mae Hyang gently removed her hand from Yi Ho-chang's back.
However, his circulation naturally continued without stopping.
Paat.
Soon, internal energy visualized like heat haze around Yi Ho-chang's body; the spiderweb branches gathered into his dantian in spherical form, ultimately transforming into a massive circle.
At that level, even without reading his energy pathways, Mae Hyang could feel it, making it all the more astonishing.
Hadn't it taken her over nine years to reach the third stage herself?
Yet he achieved great attainment in Return to One Divine Art in less than two hours...
As she pondered if this was true talent, Yi Ho-chang slowly opened his eyes and said.
"Master."
"Yes?"
"Is this correct? It feels like a circle has formed inside my body."
"Ah... yes, that's right. I knew you were exceptional, young hero, but achieving great attainment in Return to One Divine Art this quickly truly surprised me."
At those words, Yi Ho-chang felt a bit puzzled.
This was the realm of great attainment?
'Great attainment means completion, but somehow it feels...'
Lacking?
No, not lacking—slightly awkward.
'What's this? What's wrong?'
Completion should look perfect, yet the Return to One Divine Art during circulation showed subtle shortcomings to Yi Ho-chang.
For example, using only the major branches of the eight extraordinary meridians, wasting energy in other acupoints.
'If all the body's energy were gathered, efficiency would be greater... Is there a reason they avoid it intentionally?'
Because of Qi Deviation or something?
Asking beats wondering a hundred times, so Yi Ho-chang immediately questioned.
"Master, may I ask one question?"
"Go ahead."
"It might sound foolish to you, Master, but... when I tried using Return to One Divine Art myself, I felt something odd."
Odd points? Rather than frowning, Mae Hyang's curiosity piqued.
Because it was Yi Ho-chang, of all people.
"What seemed odd?"
"Why does Return to One Divine Art unify only the energy of the eight extraordinary meridians? Sometimes back-alley shortcuts are faster than main roads, aren't they?"
At those words, Mae Hyang thought for a moment, then furrowed her brow.
"Normally... no, that's impossible. Forcibly gathering energy from weak acupoints could twist the energy channels and lead to Qi Deviation."
"Hm... But the current state feels like a dam with scattered holes."
"All streams naturally follow the great flow. So even small holes ultimately become one."
Mae Hyang's words had merit.
But they didn't convince Yi Ho-chang.
So he asserted his view.
"I think the opposite."
"Opposite?"
"Rather than streams following a great flow, don't small streams gather to create the great flow?"
Go was the same.
Small stones placed to form great groups.
Thus, Yi Ho-chang was curious.
Whose words were right—Mae Hyang's or his?
"So let me try once."
Right after Yi Ho-chang spoke, the energy flow suddenly changed.
Yi Ho-chang closed his eyes and concentrated his mind.
Steam seemed to rise from his mouth, and heat rose from all over his body.
"Young hero, what are you...!"
At the sudden change, Mae Hyang tried to stop him but soon halted.
Out of curiosity.
About how this young genius would reinterpret the Return to One Divine Art he had learned.
So she stopped speaking and decided to watch.
If danger came, she could save him then.
Meanwhile, Yi Ho-chang directed all acupoint flows toward his dantian.
He wove the fine acupoints like threads into the major ones, repeating the process several times until finally all strands intertwined into a single mighty flow.
Like splashing droplets becoming part of a waterfall.
He created a 'line' instead of a 'circle'.
"Th-this absurd...!"
At the intense change, Mae Hyang's mouth gaped wider.
One misstep could reverse the energy flow into Qi Deviation, yet how could a child who just learned an internal art control energy so delicately?
At that moment, Jo Jung-seon's habitual words flashed in Mae Hyang's mind.
It wasn't geniuses becoming the world's best.
Those heaven-sent became the world's best.
Blessed muscles and bones, extraordinary intellect, innate luck.
And talent encompassing all, the greatest through the ages.
Watching Yi Ho-chang's energy pathways, Mae Hyang unwittingly uttered one word.
"...Primordial Chaos."
Like the term for heaven and earth or the universe, from the moment the energy flow unified into one, impurities seeped from Yi Ho-chang's skin, and his dantian transformed into something vast and firm beyond a mere vessel.
And when all finally settled, Yi Ho-chang slowly opened his eyes.
Then, like any child, he grinned brightly and said.
"Whew! How was it, Master?"
Huh... Was this really a snot-nosed kid not even in his teens?
No.
Absolutely not.
The being before her was no mere child but something beyond a radiant gem.
Mae Hyang, tasting double the感動 layered on admiration, could only speak long after his question.
"Congratulations."
"Pardon?"
"Young hero, you just created not Return to One Divine Art, but your own unique heart method."
"...Pardon?"
What was this now?
His own unique heart method?
But Mae Hyang was sincere.
"The heart method you created clearly started from Return to One Divine Art and looks similar to mine, but it's far more efficient and powerful than the one I made—beyond comparison. And watching the process, I glimpsed heaven and earth, the universe, if only briefly."
"Heaven and earth, the universe...?"
"Yes. So if naming your heart method... I dare recommend the word Primordial Chaos."
"Primordial Chaos..."
Seeing Mae Hyang's earnestness, Yi Ho-chang mulled the word.
Then he beamed and said.
"Then I'll call what I created Primordial Return to One Divine Art."
"Pardon?"
"Without your guidance, Master, I couldn't have learned this either."
"But..."
"Please allow it, Master."
Yi Ho-chang performed a proper fist salute, and seeing it, Mae Hyang couldn't help but smile.
Thus, she returned the salute and said.
"The honor is mine, young hero."
And so, the moment Yi Ho-chang's unique heart method, Primordial Return to One Divine Art, was born.