Forging the Vessel
Namgung Yun’s blunt assessment left Namgung Yeon struck dumb, unable to find his tongue.
“What in the world do you mean by that, Hyung-nim!”
It was Namgung Geol who protested first, his voice laced with indignant disbelief.
“Yeon is one of the most promising talents in our entire clan! Even if reaching the Transcendent Realm is too high a mountain to climb, claiming he’ll stagnate at First-rate… frankly, I cannot believe it.”
“…What is your basis for saying such a thing?” Namgung Yeon asked, grinding his teeth. The emotion bleeding through his strained voice was one of utter refusal to accept the verdict.
Namgung Yun quietly drew his sword. At a time like this, seeing once was far better than hearing a hundred explanations.
“Watch closely.”
Yun stepped forward, his blade carving through the air as he initiated a sword form. The moment the steel moved, both youths recognized the technique instantly.
It was the Great Evolution Sword Art.
Yet their eyes widened in profound disorientation.
It’s undeniably the Great Evolution Sword Art, but…
It looks entirely different from the way I wield it.
The display before them was so overwhelming that it felt almost shameful to call it the same martial art. The blade whistled with sharp, terrifying precision, sweeping through forms with such fluid ferocity that the two younger scions could only stare in stunned silence. Namgung Yeon’s gaze, in particular, locked onto the sword with terrifying focus. The ultimate form of the swordsmanship he had chased in his dreams was unfolding right before his very eyes.
The tip of the blade dipped toward the earth, bringing the demonstration to an end.
Yun rested the flat of his sword against his shoulder and looked at the two slack-jawed youths. “Did you see?”
“Y-Yes?”
“Uh, that was…”
The two stumbled over their words like startled children before Namgung Geol finally found his voice and shouted in raw excitement.
“As expected of you, Hyung-nim! To think the Great Evolution Sword Art could be unleashed with such grandeur! Ever since I began following you, this foolish brother feels as though his eyes are opened anew each day! But, Hyung-nim… just when did you learn the Great Evolution Sword Art?”
As far as Namgung Geol was aware, Yun had only ever practiced the Hyocheon Cultivation and the Hyocheon Sword Art.
“You already know I was granted the Boundless Firmament Great Evolution Divine Art and the Boundless Firmament Unhindered Sword Art,” Yun replied casually. “With that standing, I have full permission to peruse manuals of the Great Evolution Sword Art’s caliber whenever I please.”
“Then, uh… should I take that to mean you only learned it very recently?”
“Ten days ago, give or take.”
After receiving the personal teachings of the Clan Head regarding the clan’s supreme arts, Yun had headed straight for the Cheonmu Pavilion, the clan’s martial archive. There, he had devoured every manual within his authorized access in a single sitting. Naturally, his only purpose had been to extract useful insights to assimilate into his proprietary Limitless Divine Art.
“…Ten days?”
“E-Even for someone of your talent, Hyung-nim, how could anyone master the Great Evolution Sword Art in a mere ten days?!”
Faced with their horrified disbelief, Yun scowled as if they were spouting absolute nonsense.
“Mastery? Who said anything about mastery? I was merely mimicking the broad strokes.”
Even with his past-life experience, fully mastering a martial art in such a brief window was impossible. While grasping the principles of a foundational technique like the Great Evolution Cultivation was child’s play, letting the forms take root in the physical body still required time. Furthermore, he had only read through the manual to see if it held any viable principles; he had never intended to cultivate it seriously. Naturally, the demonstration he had just performed was nothing more than a superficial imitation riddled with minor flaws.
Of course, that was strictly from Namgung Yun’s peerless perspective.
…That was incomplete? That was just a rough imitation?
It looked leagues more magnificent than when the clan elders demonstrated it for us!
The shock proved too much for the two to process.
“At any rate,” Yun continued, unbothered by their bewilderment, “the sword art I just showed you is likely what you, Yeon, are striving to achieve.”
“That is correct!”
Human nature was such that true conviction only arrived when one witnessed something with their own eyes. No matter how much the clan whispered about Yun’s miraculous transformation, Yeon had retained lingering skepticism born of memories of Yun’s former, pathetic self. But seeing Yun effortlessly bring his ideal sword art to life shattered the last of his doubts, sparking genuine, heartfelt reverence within his chest.
Which was precisely why Yun’s next words froze him to the bone.
“And that is precisely why you will never advance beyond First-rate.”
“What?”
“That version of the art is something you two must never aspire to achieve at your current stage.”
“……!”
Not only Yeon, but even Geol looked completely flabbergasted. Their fingers had been itching to mimic the fierce, magnificent display they had just witnessed, yet Yun was explicitly forbidding it.
“The Great Evolution Sword Art you ought to aim for looks like this.”
Yun raised his sword once more and began to move. Form for form, it was the exact same Great Evolution Sword Art he had displayed moments before. Yet Namgung Geol and Namgung Yeon realized the difference in an instant.
It’s different!
The outward technique remained identical, but the sensation it radiated was night and day. Where the previous demonstration had roared like a violent tempest, this rendition stood tranquil and immense, like an unshakeable mountain peak.
“Do you grasp the difference?” Yun asked, lowering his blade once more.
Yeon tilted his head, visibly conflicted. To his senses, both demonstrations had seemed equally magnificent. He could not understand why one was an ideal to chase while the other was a trap to avoid.
“Is it not simply a difference in the direction of the martial intent?”
Yun clicked his tongue in blatant disappointment, confirming that Yeon had missed the mark entirely.
“Hmm,” Geol ventured hesitantly. “To me, one felt entirely empty, while the other felt completely filled.”
“At least Geol’s higher realm lets him see what truly matters,” Yun noted, giving a faint nod of approval.
Geol puffed out his chest, wearing a triumphant grin.
“Do either of you know why the clan starts every fledgling martial artist on arts like the Hyocheon Cultivation or the Great Extension Divine Art?”
“Because they are introductory martial arts!” Geol shouted, emboldened by the rare praise.
“I am asking why they are designated as introductory arts, you fool.”
“……” Geol shrank back immediately, his head hanging in defeat.
Yeon cast his mind back, recalling the advice his father had offered when he first picked up a wooden sword. “Is it to forge a foundation capable of bearing high-tier martial arts?”
“Precisely,” Yun said, nodding. “High-tier martial arts are without exception profoundly abstruse. If a beginner attempts to initiate their cultivation with an advanced art, they will inevitably encounter insurmountable hurdles.”
It was like trying to sprint across rooftops before one had even learned to crawl.
“Introductory arts exist to bridge that gap. Fools dismiss them as low-grade drivel, but it is no exaggeration to say they are the single most crucial step in achieving profound cultivation in the future. What good does possessing an earth-shattering manual do you if your foundation is hollow? Without the basics, you are nothing more than a monkey brandishing a divine sword. Do you understand what my demonstration implies?”
“…Are you saying that I am failing to build a proper foundation?”
“At least you’re quick on the uptake.”
Yun raised his sword for a third time and moved into the forms of the Great Evolution Sword Art once again. It was the fierce, ferocious rendition he had displayed at the start.
“Because the contents within the vessel are packed to the brim, it looks formidable on the surface. But that is only possible because I forged a vessel vast and sturdy enough to hold an overwhelming amount of substance without cracking. What you are currently doing, however, looks like this.”
Yun’s sword trajectory shifted subtly.
Both Geol and Yeon wincing involuntarily as they watched. The strikes still appeared fierce and heavy, yet a bizarre sense of unease radiated from the blade. It looked terrifyingly precarious—like a delicate porcelain vase spiderwebbed with countless cracks, threatening to shatter into dust at the slightest tap. Because they had just witnessed his previous, seamless demonstration, the brittleness of this variation stood out with blinding clarity.
“This is the inevitable destination of the path you are currently treading.”
“……”
“In fact, reaching even this level would be worthy of praise, for the vessel you will forge at this rate will be far more ragged than this brittle mess.”
“…Then what am I supposed to do?” Yeon asked quietly.
“It is remarkably simple.”
Yun swung his sword once more, returning to the variation Geol had described as 'empty.'
“Forget about the contents for now. You can fill the vessel with ferocity and destructive force whenever you wish down the road; it will never be too late. Right now is the time to build the foundation—to forge the vessel itself.”
Whoosh!
There was no violent surge of martial momentum riding the blade, yet the space carved by the steel felt extraordinarily broad and profoundly unyielding.
“Make this feeling your objective.”
“Understood!” Geol barked enthusiastically.
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Ah, Hyung-nim, that’s so cruel! I want to learn high-tier arts in the future as well!”
“You’re already doing fine on your own, so stop blabbering and go focus on the tasks I assigned you.”
Yeon stood entirely deaf to the comedic banter between the other two. His thoughts churned in an chaotic storm. Yun’s sword demonstration had undoubtedly been magnificent, but was that alone enough to upend his entire training philosophy?
“If you don't want to believe me, then don't.”
Yeon flinched as his eyes met Yun’s. The elder youth’s gaze was utterly indifferent. It was the look of someone who genuinely did not care whether Yeon took his advice or continued walking toward ruin.
I suppose that's only natural.
They shared no warm personal history, nor had Yeon ever done anything to earn Yun’s favor. Yun had zero reason to go out of his way to drag him back from the wrong path.
“…May I have some time to think it over?”
“Take as much time as you like. However, if you decide to seek my guidance, there is one condition.”
“What is it?”
“You must participate in chivalric acts alongside us.”
Yeon’s brow furrowed in involuntary distaste. “You mean… that pointless busywork?”
“Pointless?!”
Before Yun could even part his lips, Namgung Geol erupted in fury.
“If Yun-hyung hadn’t set his heart on righteousness and chivalry, I would have died a miserable dog’s death in that underground cavern! I might have been turned into a walking corpse, slaughtering innocent people against my will! How dare you blabber that chivalry is pointless right in front of me!”
Yeon shrank slightly under the raw venom in Geol's tone. “…I apologize for that.”
It had certainly been tactless to dismiss the very principle that had spared Geol’s life right to his face.
“I don't particularly care what you think of chivalry,” Yun said, his voice flat. “I am merely telling you that if you want my teachings, that is the price.”
“I understand.”
Yeon bowed his head stiffly and turned, departing the training ground with heavy footsteps.
“Do you think that fellow will come back, Hyung-nim?” Geol asked, watching Yeon’s retreating back.
“Who knows? If he comes, he comes; if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. More importantly, have you finished the tasks I gave you?”
“Of course! If Hyung-nim issues a command, this foolish brother would plunge into a burning house or dive into a boiling cauldron without hesitation!”
“Keep your dramatics to yourself and just do what you're told.”
Following the encounter at the training grounds, Namgung Yeon was summoned to the administrative quarters of his father, Namgung Uncheon.
The scene greeting him upon entering was the same one he had witnessed his entire life: mountain-like stacks of parchment crowding the large desk, accompanied by the dry, pervasive scent of ink and aged paper. Since early childhood, every visit to his father had looked like this. Back then, he had loved coming here, eager to see the warm smile of a father who always put down his brush to welcome him. But now, the sight brought only bitter resentment. Yeon loathed this dreary office and the endless clerical burdens that chained his father down.
“So,” Namgung Uncheon began, finally looking up from a ledger, “how was Yun?”
“He was just as the rumors claimed,” Yeon replied. “His martial arts are formidable, and he carries himself with absolute confidence. His speech, his demeanor—none of it bears the slightest resemblance to the past.”
“I hear he has been spending a great deal of time with Geol lately.”
“It’s hardly a matter of them casually spending time together. Geol is clinging to his side like a devoted shadow. He cowers at every single word Yun speaks.”
“Is that so…”
Remembering how terribly Namgung Geol had once looked down on and tormented Yun, the situation was almost beyond belief. After probing a bit more about Yun’s current routine, Uncheon cut straight to the core of the matter.
“And what of his martial arts? Tell me what you saw and felt, purely from your own perspective.”
As a Third-rate martial artist, Yeon naturally couldn't grasp the full depth of an expert in the First-rate Realm, nor did Uncheon expect an exhaustive analysis. He merely sought a few direct impressions to better understand the nephew who had suddenly upended the clan’s expectations.
Yet as Yeon recounted the encounter blow by blow, the easy warmth on Uncheon’s face gradually hardened into stone.
“…He has already learned the Great Evolution Sword Art?”
“He claimed his execution was incomplete, but to my eyes, it appeared far more magnificent than any Great Evolution Sword Art I have ever seen.”
“And on top of that… he deliberately altered the forms to convey three completely distinct intentions?”
The Great Evolution Sword Art was a technique Uncheon had mastered long ago. He was a seasoned martial artist who had reached the First-rate Realm decades prior, holding far more accumulated combat experience than a youth like Yun. Yet if someone ordered him to perform the exact same feat right now, his answer would be immediate and absolute.
He could not do it.
It seems Yun’s martial talent… is far more monstrous than any of us anticipated.