Chapter 7: Reading a Book a Hundred Times Reveals Its Meaning (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 7: Reading a Book a Hundred Times Reveals Its Meaning (6)
The Soft Willow Art (柳然功).
It was Lee Yu-baek’s signature internal cultivation method.
It was the very foundation of the martial artist known as Lee Yu-baek.
The art was as potent and rapid to master as it was treacherous and difficult to control. It was only natural for Mo Cheong to look on in horror.
“You cannot, Master! It is far too dangerous!”
Lee Yu-baek shook his head coolly.
“Silence, Mo Cheong. So-wol said he risked everything to come here. He truly put his life on the line crossing the sea from Annam, and he proved his resolve by offering me his entire fortune. Is it not only right that I show him the same level of commitment?”
Listening to their exchange, Yeon So-wol’s earlier joy vanished, replaced by a creeping sense of unease.
Just how dangerous is this?
If it was truly life-threatening, that was a problem. Yeon So-wol wanted to learn martial arts so he could live as he pleased, not so he could end up a corpse or a cripple.
His mind became a tangled mess of doubt.
Lee Yu-baek spoke to him directly.
“It may be dangerous, but it is a path that will allow you to achieve your goals much faster. As I said before, if you devote yourself to your training, you could reach the Fire Phase in less than a year. If you maintain that momentum, you will reach the next realm far more quickly as well. You might even overcome the disadvantage of your age.”
At those words, Yeon So-wol’s eyes widened.
Until now, the only way he knew to overcome his late start was the Great Restoration Pill. But simple cultivation could have a similar effect?
If I add the Great Restoration Pill on top of that…!
Yeon So-wol felt his heart pound.
Reaching the Fire Phase meant he would finally be a martial artist, even if only a third-rate one. Then, he could learn the Willow Leaf Step. Then, he could finally take the Great Restoration Pill.
That would be his true beginning.
Then I have to do this, no matter the risk…
Just then, Mo Cheong interjected from the side.
“Don’t do it, Yeon So-wol! Something terrible could happen!”
“Mo Cheong. He is a man with a purpose. Do not interfere.”
Lee Yu-baek’s warning was chilling. Mo Cheong flinched and shrank back. It was a grave offense to interrupt his master’s teachings.
Still, Lee Yu-baek didn’t scold him further. He knew as well as anyone how absurd it was to start an eighteen-year-old beginner on the Soft Willow Art.
But I can see it in your eyes, Yeon So-wol. Your will.
Lee Yu-baek looked at the young man. Yeon So-wol felt a wave of anxiety, but he fought to suppress it.
“Come and stand here.”
“Yes.”
Yeon So-wol tried his best to appear composed, willing his legs not to tremble.
I can’t show any weakness. This is the Jianghu. I have no one on my side. I am weak.
There was no room for retreat. He could not run, and he could not afford to be cautious.
Even if he tries to kick me out, I won’t give him a reason. I will absolutely reach a new realm before I leave this place.
Even if the training turned out to be truly dangerous…
It’s not like I’ll actually die, right?
Yeon So-wol chose to believe. He believed that a Great Hero like Lee Yu-baek of the Pungryu Martial Arts Hall was a man who, at the very least, possessed principles. After all, hadn’t the man helped cover up a murder? Wasn’t he a "clean, fragrant" person?
Yeon So-wol steeled his resolve and braced his heart. The two stood close, facing each other.
Lee Yu-baek spoke.
“The Soft Willow Art is a dynamic art. You move your body to gather fire and stimulate your Essence and Qi.”
He reached out and gripped Yeon So-wol’s shoulder.
“Ugh!”
He gripped it as if he intended to crush the bone. He twisted. He pulled.
“Keuk!”
That was only the beginning. Lee Yu-baek’s powerful hands grabbed, twisted, and wrenched Yeon So-wol’s body, forcing him into a series of agonizing postures.
“Kaaargh!”
Lee Yu-baek’s hands felt as hot as branding irons. No—that was just the only way to describe it. It was a heat Yeon So-wol had never experienced, a bizarre, otherworldly pain. It felt similar to the heat of the squirming "thread-worms" in the spots where he had been beaten before.
Lee Yu-baek continued to twist, press, and pull. Veins bulged on the master's face.
“A person’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit are borrowed from heaven and earth; they are born pure and full of life. But from the moment of birth, they gradually cool and become clouded with Turbid Qi, until they are finally unusable. When one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit have completely cooled and stagnated, only then does a person reach death. So, what is an internal cultivation method?”
The strange heat grew more intense. The squirming, worm-like sensations seemed to seep into the heat, finally merging with it. A sensation he had never felt before began to envelop his entire body.
Sweat poured down his face. It wasn’t just Yeon So-wol; Lee Yu-baek, who was continuously manipulating his body, was also drenched.
“An internal cultivation method is a technique to revive one’s hardened and sullied Essence, Qi, and Spirit. To be precise, one lights a fire to revive them. Just as ore full of impurities is refined into pure silver or gold in a blazing furnace.”
Using a hot fire to burn away impurities and return the soul's components to their pure state. Adding heat to bring them back to life.
“That is why the introductory stage of a mental cultivation method is called Gathering Fire. It means to kindle a flame. It is the stage where you spark a fire within you through breathing and begin to heat your Essence and Qi by gathering that warmth. Now, memorize the movements and follow my breathing. Inhale. Hold. Exhale slowly and inhale again. From this moment on, your body will become an Alchemy Furnace.”
The character ro (爐) means a vessel for fire.
A pungro is a small brazier used to boil medicine. An incense burner is a hyangro; a smelting furnace for melting iron is a yonggwangro. Among them, an Alchemy Furnace—a danro—is the furnace used for forging the elixir of immortality, the dan (丹).
Yeon So-wol frantically followed Lee Yu-baek’s instructions. He memorized the postures he was being forced into and synchronized his breathing. Each time he breathed correctly, the strange flame blooming inside him grew a little larger.
“I haven’t been beating you all this time for no reason. I was driving True Qi deep into your stiff body to create embers in your Essence and Qi. And now, I am personally fanning those embers through Qi-Guided Blood Circulation.”
Indeed, whenever Lee Yu-baek pulled his arm or pressed down on his thigh as if to pierce it, Yeon So-wol could feel faint embers coming to life throughout his body.
“Our current goal is the Fire Phase. Hwahue means ‘to observe the fire.’ It refers to fire control. Once you have raised a sufficient flame through Gathering Fire, you then begin to control that flame to earnestly burn away the Turbid Qi. Like forging a sword or firing pottery. That is what we call the Fire Phase. But that comes later. For now, focus on getting a feel for Gathering Fire.”
For a full shichen—two hours—Lee Yu-baek held Yeon So-wol, forcing him to move. He drilled the movements and breathing techniques into him, infusing his body with searing energy.
Finally, Lee Yu-baek let go.
“Hoo… Hoo…”
“Haa… Haa…”
Both men were soaked. The pain Yeon So-wol felt—having a fire lit in his Essence and Qi for the first time in his life—was beyond description. Pounding True Qi into such a body to forcibly stimulate it through Qi-Guided Blood Circulation was no small feat for the master, either. It was a demanding technique, even for Lee Yu-baek, the greatest expert in Xinxing.
The two stood still for a long time, catching their breath. Only after composing himself did Lee Yu-baek speak.
“How is it? Do you feel a warmth inside you? Not your body heat. I’m asking if you can feel a gently shimmering True Qi.”
Yeon So-wol nodded.
“Yes. I feel a flame. A burning one.”
“Hm?” Lee Yu-baek tilted his head. “Not warmth, but a flame? Already? It should be incredibly faint.”
“It feels incredibly clear. And it is burning hot.”
“That’s impossible.”
Flustered, Lee Yu-baek grabbed Yeon So-wol’s wrist to check his pulse. “Where do you feel the flames?”
“Um… The largest one is in my lower abdomen. The next is in my right thigh. There’s a small one in my left calf. And another small one in my left shoulder.”
“…!”
Lee Yu-baek stared at Yeon So-wol as if he had seen a ghost. He was right about every single one. It was an impossible feat for someone just introduced to a cultivation method.
“I knew your Qi Sense was sharp from how well you dodged attacks, but to think it was this exceptional!” Lee Yu-baek nodded in admiration. “A relief. Such a sensitive Qi Sense will be a great help. Especially since there’s no turning back now.”
Yeon So-wol tilted his head. No turning back? From what?
“Cultivating an internal art always carries the risk of Qi Deviation. It’s not usually so strict at the Gathering Fire stage, but… given your age, it can’t be helped.”
Lee Yu-baek suddenly drew his sword. With a few swift strokes, he carved words into the floor. They were precautions that Yeon So-wol had to follow.
“Memorize these and follow them to the letter. First, from now on, you will breathe only using the technique I taught you. You must never stop for more than a quarter of an hour. Maintain the breathing technique continuously. Not just when you’re awake, but also when you sleep.”
When I sleep? Yeon So-wol was baffled. How was he supposed to use a specific breathing technique while unconscious?
“If you can’t maintain the breathing technique, then don’t fall asleep.”
“…”
Yeon So-wol was horrified.
“You must continue this until you reach the Fire Phase. Warmth is now circulating in your body, which is currently full of Turbid Qi. What do you think will happen if that warmed energy isn’t continuously circulated and connected with the outside?”
Yeon So-wol thought of basic logic. If something was warm, humid, and not ventilated?
“It would rot. Mold would grow.”
“Correct. If you don’t continue the breathing technique, your Essence and Qi will rot and spoil. You’ll vomit black blood and die.”
“…”
Yeon So-wol asked himself internally, ‘Excuse me?’
“Second, you must adhere to the breathing technique absolutely. Especially during the parts where I told you not to exhale, you must not even open your mouth. If you open your mouth, even by mistake, the fire you’ve painstakingly gathered will rush out, your inner core will grow cold, and you will become gravely ill.”
“…”
A cold sweat ran down Yeon So-wol’s back. Wait a minute.
“Third, you must constantly practice the Soft Willow Art I just taught you. Feel the gathered fire and use the movements to spread it evenly throughout your body. You will have to wake up and move in the middle of the night as well. If you don’t, some parts of your body will be cool while others are hot, and your Qi and Blood will become twisted. Eventually, you’ll lose control of your body. You might even just drop dead.”
“…”
“Lastly, until you reach the Fire Phase… no, for the rest of your life, do not spit. Your ‘Essence’ is being heated. The saliva pooling in your mouth is your Acquired Essence; if you spit it out carelessly, your essence will quickly wither away.”
Yeon So-wol’s eyes trembled.
Death or disability… just for breathing wrong once?
Yeon So-wol was in denial. No. It can’t be. There must be some kind of safety measure. Logically.
He asked as calmly as he could. “What should I do if, by some one-in-a-million chance, I make a mistake?”
“You shouldn’t make a mistake.”
“…”
Yeon So-wol tried again. “This seems even more dangerous than I thought. Do you have any advice on how to do this safely?”
“Hm? Didn’t I just tell you everything?”
“…”
Yeon So-wol prayed that this was all just an exaggeration meant to scare him.
“…Then have there really been cases like you described? People dying or becoming disabled? I ask only so I can carve the lesson into my heart and remain vigilant.”
“Usually not at the Gathering Fire stage. But the deeper you go in your cultivation, the more it becomes a battle against Qi Deviation. However, because of your age, you face that risk right from the start.”
“So people really do die…”
At that, Lee Yu-baek gazed distantly into the air.
“I have three direct disciples. They are called the Three Gentlemen of Pungryu. But they were originally supposed to be the Four Gentlemen of Pungryu.”
“…”
“Still, I’m one of the lucky ones. The direct disciples of the Severing Sword Sect were originally meant to be the Seven Severing Swords.”
“How many Severing Swords are there now…?”
“The Four Severing Swords, I believe.”
“…”
“This is how perilous it is to covet transcendence while in a human body.”
Yeon So-wol slowly closed his eyes.
Why? How did it come to this? All he had done was try his best. Suddenly, the voice of the elder Jo Man-seok echoed in his ears: ‘Never trust anyone from the Jianghu.’
But there was no turning back now. And no one would listen even if he complained.
It was a mad world. This was the exact kind of fate Yeon So-wol had resolved to become strong enough to avoid. Someday. Definitely.
Yeon So-wol suppressed the surge of emotion rising in his throat and replied.
“Yes. I understand.”
Mo Cheong was horrified by his calm demeanor. Isn’t he scared after hearing that? How can he be so composed?
Lee Yu-baek smiled with satisfaction, as if he had expected nothing less.
“Do you see, Mo Cheong? When a man sets his mind to something, he can move mountains. What is there to fear?”
Yeon So-wol glared at Lee Yu-baek.
Lee Yu-baek liked that look in his eyes.
“Excellent! What fine spirit!”
“…”