Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 320
Chapter Title: You Think Too Much
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"...Little Master?"
Jade Kirin looked up at Cheonhwi.
His eyes widened in shock.
Cheonhwi was right in front of him, close enough to feel his breath, staring with an intrigued expression.
Jade Kirin's pupils trembled.
His eyes shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake, filled with agitation.
This was deeply disconcerting for him.
'To not sense his presence until he got this close...'
His senses were exceptional.
Especially right after performing his sword dance, he controlled everything within about five zhang.
Yet he had felt nothing.
Not even as he approached.
And this wasn't something he could dismiss as simply missing a presence.
Who was he?
A disciple of the Wudang Sect.
In other words, a martial artist of the jianghu.
The jianghu was a world of savage blades and forests of swords, where death could come at any moment.
Knowing this all too well, he couldn't help but be terrified.
'If the Little Master had been an enemy...'
His back grew damp.
Sweat beaded on his skin, gradually soaking his daoist robes.
The weather was cold, yet his body burned hot.
At the same time, a question arose.
'But why suddenly...?'
Spying on another's martial arts training was a taboo in the jianghu.
Even if seen, one would usually keep it hidden.
Yet he approached openly.
Not hiding that he had watched.
And that wasn't all.
He had curtly refused a conversation request at the start of the journey, but now he initiated one and even showed goodwill?
He couldn't fathom his intentions.
"How long have you been watching?"
Jade Kirin asked with a stiff expression.
Seeing Jade Kirin's hardened face—unlike his usual soft smiles—Cheonhwi's grin deepened.
'His head isn't completely in the clouds.'
The moment his voice reached him, Jade Kirin assumed a guarded stance.
Whether consciously or not, he was ready to strike at any moment.
Cheonhwi sensed the sword qi in his blade and stared at him as he spoke.
"Since you woke up?"
It was an answer to his question.
His voice rode the wind, brushing past Jade Kirin.
Jade Kirin's brow twitched at the words.
He spoke without a hint of apology or embarrassment for watching from the start.
'An unpredictable man.'
As his thoughts deepened—
"More importantly, what are you going to do?"
The voice came again.
Whoosh—
Cheonhwi suddenly thrust his face closer.
"Hup...!"
Startled by the face filling his vision in an instant, Jade Kirin instinctively pulled his right foot back.
His hand moved next.
Pah!
It was a reflexive strike.
His palm swept up from below, aiming swiftly for Cheonhwi's chin.
It happened in a flash.
'Oh no!'
Jade Kirin realized too late.
His unconscious strike had extended midway.
'What have I done!'
He desperately tried to withdraw his hand.
But recalling a released Taiji Palm wasn't easy.
Crack—
As his muscles screamed—
"Quite skilled."
A soft voice tickled his ear.
And at the same time.
Stop.
The Taiji Palm halted midway.
Because Cheonhwi had grabbed his wrist.
"How...?"
Jade Kirin stared blankly at the pale, slender hand gripping his Taiji Palm wrist.
He hadn't seen it move.
The moment he felt the grip on his wrist, it was already caught.
"A fine counter."
Cheonhwi released his wrist and said.
'Not undeserved of being one of the Three Great Prodigies.'
It was a hasty technique, yet the form was perfect, and his internal energy control excellent.
Cleaner than any move from the Absolute Greats.
Among later-generation talents his age, only Heavenly Dragon and Black Night Chariot could match him.
'Tsk, none of Mount Hua's later-generation disciples can keep up.'
As he recalled Mount Hua's rapidly improving disciples with a pang of regret—
"Ah!"
Jade Kirin snapped back to reality.
He hurriedly withdrew his hand, bowed, and lowered his head to Cheonhwi.
As if apologetic.
"Infinite Mercy. My apologies. I reacted instinctively to your sudden appearance..."
"Hm? Is this something to apologize for?"
Cheonhwi tilted his head and continued.
"It's natural for a martial artist."
His tone was utterly calm.
To him, surrounded by enemies in his past life, such counters were expected.
Even now, he spread his senses, always ready to respond.
'Who knows when someone might betray you?'
But unaware of Cheonhwi's inner thoughts, Jade Kirin admired his composure.
'Well-deserved of the title Divine Hero.'
A slight misstep could spark inter-sect conflict.
Yet he brushed it off lightly.
As if it were nothing.
Truly the demeanor of a great man.
Then Cheonhwi spoke again.
"More than that, I'd like an answer to my question now."
"Answer...?"
"I asked if you wanted to know what the problem was."
Jade Kirin flinched.
He had momentarily forgotten the question.
His brows furrowed.
Frankly, he didn't fully trust Cheonhwi's words.
Of course, he knew he was exceptional.
The move he just showed proved his superior martial prowess.
But.
'That's separate.'
Jade Kirin's gaze deepened.
The sword art he performed wasn't just any— it was the Taiji Benevolent Sword.
Its profundity was so deep that even his master, who began learning near fifty, found it hard to grasp.
'If not for Master, I wouldn't have even entered the gate of this sword art.'
He prided himself on his luck.
His talent was outstanding too.
Wudang had given him one of their two Taiji Pills for intake.
But his full blooming came more from his master's efforts than his own.
His master, the Taiji Sword Sage, entered the Taiji Benevolent Sword late in life for his disciple, studying and simplifying the oral formulas.
Without that, even he would have struggled to begin.
That was the difficulty of the Taiji Benevolent Sword.
And even his master couldn't resolve the current issue.
Yet Cheonhwi claimed to know— how could he believe it?
"Does the Little Master know what sword art I was performing?"
He tried to deflect.
Planning to drop it if he didn't.
But that plan crumbled immediately.
"The Taiji Benevolent Sword, right?"
"...!"
Jade Kirin's eyes bulged.
An unbelievable answer.
The Taiji Benevolent Sword had rarely appeared in Wudang's long history.
His master, the Taiji Sword Sage, never used it in the jianghu, nor had he taught it to others.
Yet he recognized it.
His shock was indescribable.
"How did you...?"
"Among Wudang's sword arts, which emphasize post-initiative dominance, the only one where the forms continuously change is the Taiji Benevolent Sword, isn't it?"
Cheonhwi explained fluidly, as if it were obvious.
Like an eloquent speaker.
And rightly so— in his past life, it was a sword art he desperately wanted to see.
'One of the world's rare absolute sword arts.'
Cheonhwi's eyes half-lidded in the twilight.
The revealed gaze resembled a clustered sunset.
The power of the Plum Blossom Divine Art filled his eyes, shining with a brilliant light.
Obsessed with martial arts from past life to now, he wouldn't miss this chance to witness the Taiji Benevolent Sword.
Jade Kirin swallowed dryly.
"How did you know it was the Taiji Benevolent Sword?"
"Well..."
Cheonhwi paused mid-sentence.
He learned of it from records in the Heavenly Demon Repository and the Jianghu Martial Arts Ranking from the Heavenly Demon's secret annex.
But mentioning either was problematic.
The repository was obvious, and the ranking would only breed doubt.
"I saw it in an old book at Mount Hua."
Cheonhwi said vaguely.
It was ambiguous, but the best answer.
"An old book...?"
Jade Kirin pondered the unclear response but soon accepted it.
Mount Hua, like Wudang, was part of the Nine Great Sects for ages.
Records could exist.
But it wasn't enough to build full trust.
"I've felt your exceptional prowess firsthand. However, spotting flaws in a sword art from mere records... is nearly impossible."
Jade Kirin said, gazing at Cheonhwi.
His voice was dry as a biting wind.
As things complicated, he spoke bluntly.
"Martial arts are built on accumulated years of study. I've poured half my life into this Taiji Benevolent Sword. To claim you spotted the issue from one glance... In your place, Little Master, could you believe it?"
"Hm, I'd listen first, believe or not."
Cheonhwi said nonchalantly.
He wouldn't refuse talk of martial arts.
It intrigued him.
"..."
Jade Kirin's eyes widened.
A bold statement.
He was already at a great height, yet open to advice.
Not an easy feat.
Especially for experts.
Realizing this, he felt ashamed.
Such a master listens to others, yet he criticized before even hearing, assuming ignorance.
He wanted to crawl into a hole.
Soon, he met Cheonhwi's eyes squarely.
Not hiding his flushed embarrassment.
"...Then, what problem did you see, Little Master?"
"One question first."
Cheonhwi met his gaze and asked.
"It seems the Taiji Benevolent Sword has no fixed forms or stances—is that right?"
Surprise flickered in Jade Kirin's eyes.
Exactly.
The Taiji Benevolent Sword had no fixed postures or numbered forms.
Sword intent.
Master only the intent of the forms and wield freely—that was the Taiji Benevolent Sword.
Hence its difficulty.
"Yes."
"As I thought."
Cheonhwi chuckled softly.
"The problem is simple."
Then Cheonhwi's voice rang out.
Jade Kirin perked his ears.
"You think too much."
"Pardon?"
Jade Kirin showed bewilderment.
An utterly unexpected answer.
"Taiji means harmony."
Cheonhwi stated the obvious definition of Taiji, his lips curling sharply.
"But you're overthinking, breaking the harmony of mind and body."
"Harmony of mind and body?"
Jade Kirin's brow furrowed deeper.
He couldn't comprehend.
Harmony of mind and body?
"In other words, you're so focused on sword intent that your body can't keep up."
"...Overdoing it, as they say."
Jade Kirin replied, sinking into thought and falling silent.
A problem he never imagined.
Insight too advanced for the body to follow—who would think that possible?
"Is there a way to resolve it?"
Jade Kirin asked cautiously.
If Cheonhwi spotted this, he likely knew the fix.
"There is, but..."
"What is it?"
Cheonhwi met his eyes squarely and parted his lips.
"Forget it."
A low voice flowed out.
Laced with power, it pressed heavily on Jade Kirin's ears.
"Forms, sword arts—erase them all from your mind."
"What do you...?"
Jade Kirin frowned.
Incomprehensible.
Forget?
Then all his years on the Taiji Benevolent Sword were wasted.
"With your current skill, embodying full sword intent in every strike is impossible."
Cheonhwi said sharply.
Like a honed steel needle.
Jade Kirin couldn't refute.
He was right—he couldn't wield it properly yet.
Cheonhwi continued to the silent Jade Kirin.
"Trying to force the full sword intent now won't help. Discard what you must."
"But wielding martial arts without proper intent is pointless..."
"You said martial arts are years of study. Your body remembers it all from consistent practice, right?"
Cheonhwi threw back his words, smirking.
"It'll move on its own. Like your unconscious attack just now."
"..."
Jade Kirin lowered his gaze, silently staring at his sword.
Forget. Discard what must be discarded.
The body remembers, so it will move naturally.
Cheonhwi's words pierced his heart like arrows.
Especially "discard what must be"—it cut deepest.
He wanted to embrace everything.
His martial arts, his subordinates.
But reality was harsh.
The Taiji Benevolent Sword wasn't free yet, and many subordinates had to leave his hands.
'...My vessel is too small to hold it all.'
He gently closed his eyes.
Accepting it eased his mind.
'Forget and discard.'
Soon, he emptied his mind.
Thoughts, Taiji Benevolent Sword, all distractions.
One by one, they faded until—
Emptiness alone remained.
And in that moment.
Flash!
Lightning struck Jade Kirin's mind.
Simultaneously, he gripped his sword.
An unconscious act.
Swish—
The drawn blade moved gracefully.
The sword body danced like a butterfly, scattering beautiful blue light everywhere.
"This is unexpected."
Cheonhwi watched Jade Kirin, lost in a trance with eyes closed, performing his sword dance. He stepped back, sat on a nearby rock.
"Well, no harm."
Cheonhwi smirked.
His goal was singular.
To witness the true Taiji Benevolent Sword up close.
Cheonhwi's eyes gleamed brilliantly.
His blossoming power filled his pupils, scanning Jade Kirin.
Meridians, muscles, internal energy.
All visible to him.
Memorizing it all, Cheonhwi's eyes sparkled as he smiled.
"Shall I see the true Taiji Benevolent Sword?"