Past Entwined with the Four Gods (1)
Yeon Wi stood with eyes closed and sword raised, resembling a solitary bamboo stalk.
Dang Gwan watched with keen interest while Dang Sang-ah observed with eyes full of tension.
Some time passed in that manner.
Srrrk.
A single leaf fluttered down and brushed against Yeon Wi’s shoulder.
In that instant his eyes snapped open, blazing with a light as fierce as the sun.
Flash!
A streak of light seemed to flicker, and then—
Kwaaaaang! The ground rumbled.
A boulder a full ten zhang away split cleanly along a diagonal line.
“Hmm.”
His internal energy was so profound and his eyesight so sharp that even from that distance he could examine the cut surface in meticulous detail.
Yeon Wi nodded. Now it’s at least worth looking at. He had expanded the versatility of his Absolute Single Sword, infusing sword force into a slash that followed a thrust.
After countless failures, his persistent effort had finally borne fruit. For the first time since creating the Absolute Single Sword, Yeon Wi felt genuine satisfaction with the result.
He turned toward Dang Gwan and Dang Sang-ah.
“What do you think?”
Dang Gwan tilted his head.
“It is undoubtedly a formidable sword technique.”
Yeon Wi’s eyes sharpened.
Given Dang Gwan’s personality, praise would not be the first words out of his mouth. There had to be something that still bothered him.
“The process from emission to slash and recovery seems flawless, yet… the flow of power leaves something to be desired.”
“The flow of power?”
“It may be the difference between those of the Tang Clan and pure swordsmen. If it were me, rather than such a straight and rigid path, I would have mixed in soft sword techniques to create a flexible slash capable of responding instantly to an opponent’s attack.”
“……”
Dang Gwan spread his right hand open and raised his left index finger.
“If the opponent attacks like this.”
The left index finger shot straight toward the right palm.
“Family Head Yeon’s slash meets it head-on, shatters it, and severs it. But in doing so, the shock can transmit back to the user. Therefore…”
Dang Gwan’s right hand flowed around the incoming finger like a current and seized the left wrist.
“Like this—deflecting the opponent’s attack as a leaf dances on the wind—would it not be better to adjust the technique so you can strike their vitals directly?”
“Indeed.”
Yeon Wi’s face filled with admiration.
“It truly is different. If one could wield such a slash, it would be possible to cut the opponent before ever clashing with them.”
“Exactly. There is no doubt about the depth of Family Head Yeon’s martial arts, but in truth your disposition is excessively upright. That upright character combined with orthodox sword theory produces honest and profound techniques, yet the root of all martial arts lies in defeating the opponent.”
That was Dang Gwan’s way. Not stopping the fight, not perfectly defending against every attack, but killing the enemy before they could harm him—that was the martial path he pursued.
It did not suit Yeon Wi. His first priority was to block and repel attacks from any direction, and only then to disable the opponent with his own strikes.
It was the very definition of orthodoxy. Most martial arts of the Central Plains followed the same principle. Among them, Yeon Wi’s martial arts were renowned for their iron-wall defense, prioritizing perfect protection before launching an overwhelming offense.
Dang Gwan knew this well.
“Of course, there is no need to perfect your sword exactly as I suggest. But there is a difference between choosing not to use a technique you are capable of and being forced to clash because you have no other choice.”
“It is true that the Tang Family Head’s martial principles carry a heavier killing intent than my own sword path. Still, as you said, that too is one facet of the martial way. I have received valuable guidance.”
Dang Gwan gave a short laugh.
“Whether it was truly helpful remains to be seen. Words are easy, but creating a slash that can answer any attack may prove more difficult than the process you went through to forge that sword.”
“If a path exists, should we not walk it? To create a more perfect, deeper sword study is my lifelong wish. Even if I ultimately fail to complete the Three Swords, I refuse to treat any single blade carelessly.”
The words revealed Yeon Wi’s true nature.
Once he set his hand to even the smallest task, he saw it through to the end. Perhaps Yeon Hojeong’s ruthless tenacity had been inherited from this very depth of focus and sense of responsibility.
“You should also pay attention to footwork. Not the Yeon family’s own steps, but movement that complements that single sword of yours.”
“I understand. A slash that strikes without clashing is impressive, but one must first have evasive techniques to escape the opponent’s range.”
“You catch on quickly.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I see another path forward.”
Dang Gwan smacked his lips.
“It is merely an equal exchange. Thanks to the Family Head, my control over the true qi of the Myriad Heaven Art has grown far more delicate.”
If Yeon Hojeong had given him the method to maximize the lethality of both the Myriad Heaven Art and the Fire Rain Art as well as the principles of unity to harmonize them, then from Yeon Wi he had received the foundation to spread his true qi like a spider’s web.
Dang Gwan had never imagined he would receive such enormous help from the two men of the Yeon family.
The reason martial arts of each sect could not grow explosively was the principle of non-transmission to outsiders.
Non-transmission to the unworthy. It meant teachings could not be given to those whose character was lacking. In the murim, this was understood as never passing on a sect’s arts to anyone outside the sect itself.
Murim sects were extremely wary of other factions obtaining their martial principles.
It could not be helped. The murim was a brutal world where blades could be drawn in the blink of an eye. The moment an opponent grew stronger, they would seek to devour you.
Talking about justice or righteousness meant nothing to those who had already suffered. Therefore, caution before being struck came first, and overwhelming the opponent to exert dominance came second.
That was why the chance of a small sect rising to become a major power was so slim. Most mid-tier sects could only dream of forming ties with a great sect and growing into a dominant local force.
In that regard, the Byeoksan Yeon family was truly remarkable. Without meaningful exchanges with other sects, they had risen to become the strongest martial house in Gangdong through pure skill and a heart for justice alone.
Yet that same purity had nearly led to their destruction. Because they had formed no alliances, eliminating them would have been clean and simple.
“Let us continue to exchange insights often in the future.”
At Yeon Wi’s words, Dang Gwan glanced at Dang Sang-ah.
Her expression was one of pure rapture.
To Yeon Wi it had been a decent strike; to Dang Gwan it had been lacking. But to Dang Sang-ah, that single sword truly deserved the name Absolute Single Sword.
A strike no martial art could block. It did not appear overwhelmingly destructive or impossibly sharp, yet once drawn it severed everything in its path.
Its simplicity and absolute inevitability had struck Dang Sang-ah with tremendous force. At the same time, it had captivated her completely.
A sword could be this beautiful.
Dang Gwan nodded.
“Exchanging our sects’ core arts is impossible. However, since both you and I are in the process of creating new martial studies, we may put our heads together on that front.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“Let us do so.”
Though he spoke lightly, Yeon Wi understood the truth.
It was inevitable that a sect’s principles would seep into any newly created martial art.
Dang Gwan’s Myriad Heaven Art already contained portions of the Yeon family’s true qi circulation method. The completed Myriad Heaven Art and Fire Rain Art would carry Yeon Hojeong’s radical martial principles.
At the same time, the Absolute Three Swords Yeon Wi pursued would be infused with the Tang family’s lethal efficiency and positional dominance.
Though the two houses had not shared the specific phrases or secret manuals of their hereditary arts, they had already exchanged sufficient knowledge regarding each other’s characteristics and countermeasures. And that exchange would only deepen.
As long as neither side betrayed the other, the next generation of both families would become far stronger than they were now.
“By the way, there is one thing I have been curious about.”
“Speak freely.”
“That rude brat—I mean, your eldest son.”
Yeon Wi smiled.
“Is there some problem with Hojeong?”
Dang Gwan tilted his head.
“I think I heard a rough explanation before, but just what kind of martial arts is that fellow cultivating?”
“Ah, you mean Hojeong’s martial arts.”
“Yes. No matter how I look at it, they are not the Yeon family’s arts. Of course I acknowledge the boy’s talent, but I cannot believe he has already disassembled the Yeon family’s techniques and created something new on his own.”
“Of course that is not the case.”
Yeon Wi leaned against a tree.
With his sheathed sword planted in the ground and both hands resting atop the hilt, his posture was so elegant it inspired admiration. Dang Sang-ah was inwardly astonished that a martial artist devoted to the sword could appear this beautiful.
“The martial arts Hojeong learned bear the name of the Four Gods.”
He had asked, yet he had not expected a direct answer.
Even while surprised, Dang Gwan tilted his head again.
“The Four Gods? You mean the Four Gods Martial Arts?”
“Correct.”
“There are more than a few techniques created in the image or spirit of the Four Gods, but…”
“I am aware. However, Hojeong said he obtained the manual by chance.”
“By chance, you say…”
People often misunderstood. They believed that obtaining the greatest manual in the world would allow them to become peerless masters.
In the end, that was nearly impossible.
One could learn the true qi guiding method, the heart technique, to near completion on one’s own. But the paths and forms of martial arts could not be mastered from a manual alone. Only a genius born once in a hundred or even a thousand years could achieve such a feat.
Dang Gwan recalled Yeon Hojeong’s radical and extremely practical combat style.
They were certainly forms, yet they had no fixed framework. The characteristics of the martial arts he used were clear, but the way he responded to situations and enemy attacks was both utterly free and perfectly precise. Without tremendous real combat experience, it is impossible to wield martial arts in that manner. No one in the current murim could fight with paths like that rude brat’s.
Though he constantly cursed the boy with his mouth, Dang Gwan acknowledged Yeon Hojeong’s martial arts. Yet to gain such real combat experience, one must undergo life-and-death battles grounded in well-refined techniques. That would mean the boy has a master besides the Yeon Family Head.
Dang Gwan glanced at Yeon Wi.
Yeon Wi gazed at the sky with a calm expression. He is hiding something.
Dang Gwan felt no displeasure at the secrecy. Everyone had matters they wished to keep hidden.
Still, he was curious. Four Gods martial arts… Even before the techniques, the true qi itself was extraordinary. It carried a venomous tenacity that seemed willing to rise again and again, no matter how many times it was struck, until it slaughtered the enemy.
Dang Gwan’s eyes gleamed. It must be a martial art refined over a very long period. Not three or four hundred years—perhaps it carries a history comparable to that of Shaolin itself.
“Lord Left Governor.”
“What is it?”
“Th-that is…”
“Why are you stuttering so?”
The guard captain lowered his head.
“The martial artist from that time has returned.”
Jong Myeong’s face twisted into a scowl.