The Sword Idiot's Passionate Lecture
Namgung Sinjae’s spirit was truly admirable. He shouted, “My sparring is like this!” but Cheong had nothing in particular to say in response. In the end, it was training in a purely sword-only art that had zero practicality. To Cheong, it just looked like a way to kill time. With the added bonus of physical exhaustion. What was even the point of sparring like this?
Yet strangely enough, it was also a surprisingly beneficial time.
“Lady Seomun’s skill is truly outstanding.”
“Don’t state the obvious. That’s why we don’t go around praising the sun for rising and setting so diligently.”
“That confidence! What a splendid attitude for a swordswoman! I have learned something once again.”
Namgung Sinjae nodded earnestly and continued.
“However, Lady Seomun’s sword is far too honest. A swordsman’s blade must be free.”
“……?”
Cheong tilted her head in confusion. What the hell did he mean by a sword being free? Did it have to run off on its own like her master’s sword and wander around looking for its owner? If that were the case, why was she even at the Peak realm?
“Here, watch once and you will understand. This is the third form of the Blue Sky Sword, Revolving Gale Cut.”
The tip of the descending sword swept across the ground as if brushing it, then followed the two full rotations of his body to slash horizontally twice more. He repeated the same form several times. Yet even though it was the same form, it was not the same form at all.
It had the elasticity of a snake striking its prey. The repeated forms carried the heavy, crushing weight of a rolling boulder, then shifted to the leisurely grace of a crane at play, and later took on the swarming, wriggling quality of a swarm of ants.
“Oh……”
“Do you see? Even with the same form, the nature of the sword changes depending on what intent you pour into it. Lady Seomun’s forms are exquisite—there is probably no other sect in the world outside of our Namgung Clan that could match their profundity. Yet they always paint the same picture.”
It was true, but why did he suddenly sound like the superior one here? Feeling slightly twisted, Cheong sneered.
“What a shame. If you had said that after beating me at least once, it might have actually sounded cool.”
“Haha, there is no shame in lacking. The only shame is in not striving to improve.”
“Sorry. Then what does that make me……”
Cheong immediately apologized.
“It is fine. Are we not sword-friends?”
Namgung Sinjae smiled, revealing his bright white teeth.
What the hell? Why did this weirdo have to be such a cool guy?
“From what I have observed, Lady Seomun would benefit greatly from practicing the principles using just two forms of the Three Talents. What do you think?”
“Three Talents Sword? That thing? Stab, slash, and thrust?”
The Three Talents Sword Technique was almost embarrassing to even call a sword art. It consisted of only three basic forms. A vertical downward strike, a horizontal cut, and one final move that varied by region. Some places called it a thrust, others a diagonal slash, and still others a sweeping circular cut. It was like the three major restaurants in any given area. The first two were fixed, while the last spot quietly snuck in the local shop from whoever was telling the story. In other words, the first two were the real deal.
The vertical downward strike was called Mount Tai Suppression. The grandiose name meant to strike down with the crushing force of Mount Tai itself, yet it perfectly captured the essence. The horizontal cut was called Sweeping a Thousand Soldiers, meaning one swing of the blade could cut down a thousand enemies. It was equally grandiose, but the imagery was easy to understand.
“So. Hmm. How about Lady Seomun faces me using only those two forms? Since we will be focusing on sword shapes, we will use pure sword strength without internal energy.”
“Hmm……?”
Cheong carefully studied Namgung Sinjae’s expression. The corner of his mouth was subtly curved. She immediately caught on. Using only two forms and no internal energy? Then how was she supposed to win? It was obvious he was scheming to win at least once.
She had just been feeling impressed, too. You little shit, is that how it is?
However, Cheong’s stats were already teetering at the absolute limit of human capability. If the entire world were a place where no one used internal energy, Cheong would have long since been called the Greatest Under Heaven, the Female Hegemon, or something along those lines.
And a short while later, Namgung Sinjae, holding a broken wooden sword, spoke.
“Upon further reflection, it seems that not using internal energy holds little meaning for the advancement of sword strength. Internal energy is indeed an important factor. Yes, quite.”
Cheong has finally grasped the difference between sword force and sword shape.
By infusing personal intent into forms, the same martial art can manifest differently for everyone.
This is the first step of interpretation—the beginning of making martial arts truly one's own.
King Darius of Persia once said that a thoughtful and devoted friend is the most precious treasure in the world. Seomun Cheong, Outer Elder of the Sinnyeo Sect, agreed with him. She would add one thing: if that friend is also rich, then it becomes an even more precious treasure.
Namgung Sinjae was an incredibly bold man. If one were to point out his most manly trait, it would be that whenever he was in a city, he always ate at the most famous restaurant. Normally, even if you suddenly showed up at the most famous restaurant in a city and demanded, “Give me food,” they wouldn’t just say, “Yes, right away.” Most places were fully booked for the next month or two with reservations alone.
But Namgung Sinjae was from the Namgung Clan. The great clans were originally local magnates or descendants of such magnates. Among them, a few clans possessed overwhelmingly strong influence. The Namgung Clan was simply the master of Anhui Province. A restaurant that received the young master of Anhui as a guest would instead feel honored by the presence of such a distinguished visitor. It was an honor; how could they dare speak of reservations!
Cheong’s nature was to become endlessly happy in front of food. It was only natural. The obsession a person who had been starved of food held toward it was no ordinary obsession. Cheong had lived fighting with beggars, stronger beggars, rats, bugs, and even damn dogs over food that had been thrown away. Naturally, she had developed a deep-seated grudge against hunger.
She wondered if there had ever been days as comfortable as these since coming to Murim. Of course, the Sinnyeo Sect was home, so it was an exception. Home was naturally comfortable.
And it wasn’t just the gourmet food that satisfied her.
This sparring thing is more fun than I thought.
“Alright, I’m full! Let’s spar! Let’s go, sword-friend!”
“Excellent! To spar right after eating—truly worthy of being called my sword-friend!”
Namgung Sinjae was sincere about the sword and possessed a talent for teaching that even he himself didn’t realize. Cheong eagerly absorbed every bit of his insight.
And finally.
At the end of their spar, Cheong let out a deep breath.
“Huu……”
Cheong had finally reached enlightenment. She understood the difference between sword force and sword shape. By infusing one’s own power into a form, the same martial art could become something entirely different for each person. She had finally attained that realization!
The Transcendent realm was the process of completely interpreting and adapting martial arts to make them one’s own. One could even call it a radical remodeling of the art. She had taken the first step—the very beginning of that interpretation.
With this realization, Cheong had entered the early stage of the Peak realm. The enlightenment she should have gained long ago had finally settled properly within her! The gap between her skill and her theoretical knowledge had finally narrowed, if only a little.
This was because Cheong had learned her martial arts in a completely haphazard way. With no foundation or basics, she had simply used whatever was crammed into her head. What did she know about enlightenment or anything else?
Two weeks passed.
Cheong arrived at the southwesternmost edge of Henan Province, the land of Hwangcheon.
Cheong thought to herself, How did a city end up named Hwangcheon? Doesn’t that sound ominous? Something like, “I succeeded in Hwangcheon and built a family, so now I shall bring my father and mother to Hwangcheon as well.” No good examples came to mind.
What Cheong didn’t know was that there had originally been more than a few cities named Hwangcheon across the Central Plains. If you counted the villages, there were easily hundreds. This was because there were so many rivers in the Central Plains with muddy, yellow water. Whenever people settled beside them, the place would become another Hwangcheon.
But the Hwangcheon of Henan Province was special. It was the largest city among all the countless Hwangcheons.
After returning the carriage at the stable, paying the remaining balance, and naturally heading toward the best inn in Hwangcheon as the next step in the flow, they arrived.
As expected. It was called the best inn for a reason. From afar, an enormous crowd that was anything but ordinary could be seen. It looked like the entire city wall had been wrapped in people.
Cheong’s eyes sparkled.
“Whoa. What kind of inn is this popular? Can I get my hopes up for this?”
“No matter how good an inn is, could this many people gather? There must be something special happening.”
“Something special?”
Namgung Sinjae’s eyes gleamed.
“It must be that an exalted swordmaster is present. Everyone must have gathered hoping to catch even a single glimpse of his peerless sword art. There is no other way to explain such a massive crowd.”
“……Yeah. If you say so, then sure.”
Cheong simply let out a deep sigh.
“Now that you mention it, I too cannot hold back. I must go meet him at once and request a lesson.”
Namgung Sinjae strode forward briskly, unable to hide his excitement.
Cheong shook her head. Just what was the sword, and what was swordsmanship anyway? She had no idea how a perfectly normal rich young master could be turned into something like this.
With a lament, Cheong followed after her precious sponsor.
Soon, Namgung Sinjae’s steps came to a halt. When Cheong caught up, his face was filled with obvious disappointment.
“What’s wrong?”
“They are all women.”
“So?”
“I have seen this sight many times. It seems a true sword hero is not present after all. My heart was pounding with anticipation for even a short while.”
Ah. The wall of women. Cheong also had an inkling. Right. From the outside, it must look like this.
“Ah. I see.”
The scene inside was vividly clear in her mind. They were probably holding another trash illegal dumping competition in there.
Namgung Sinjae let out a deep sigh.
“It seems my younger brother whom I know is inside. He is a foolish fellow who uses the blade instead of the sword, but although he is dull, he is not a bad person. I was thinking of greeting him briefly. Would that be alright?”
Do all the rich young masters know each other? Well, the children of chaebols probably hang out among themselves too. Come to think of it, it made sense.
“Of course it’s fine. Totally fine.”
Then Namgung Sinjae gave another warning.
“Actually, that fellow tends to be unusually sharp toward women, so he may act rudely toward you. No, he will definitely act rudely. He is not a bad younger brother at heart, so please understand with a generous heart. It would be best if you simply do not pay him any attention.”
In response, Cheong simply showed a strange, eerie smile.