On the Path One Walks Alone
On the lonely path walked by one who stands alone, it was a single stance the old man had shown while gazing at the tip of the sword. Was that grandfather Mucheon-daeje? It wasn’t just one line of the form etched into her mind. The Dokgo-gugeom could not use free practice points. Instead, every time she filled in a stance by viewing the Sword-Carving Cliffs of the other great sects, her achievement rose by one level. Only after gathering all nine and reaching nine achievements could she complete a special quest to attain the tenth. It was information she had neither seen nor heard before. Was there anything more unpleasant than having such things forced into her head? Martial arts window, it’s you again? You absolute piece of shit.
Yet for someone who had been chewed up by that brain-eating monster of a status window, the aftertaste wasn’t as filthy as expected. Somewhere in the middle… there had been something. What was it? Something incredibly good had been within reach, hadn’t it? But someone had interfered…? Or had they? She couldn’t quite remember.
In truth, Cheong had taken two full steps through the open door of ipma before turning back. Ipma—a kind of backdoor that transcendent masters sometimes chose instead of breaking through to the Harmonious Realm. It was far easier than scaling that wall, but the side effects were severe. Typical symptoms included murderous impulses, sadistic tendencies, and a fondness for cannibalism. When she thought about it, that wasn’t actually all that different from her current state.
Regardless, falling into ipma meant one’s mind would eventually snap, turning them into a full demonic practitioner. They would remain that way until they broke through to the next realm. Only upon reaching the Profound Realm could they regain their sanity. This was called Talma. Yet throughout the long history of Murim, only a handful had ever returned from it. They had taken the easy way through one wall only to face an even higher one, which was why they suffered several times more than those who had advanced normally to the Harmonious Realm.
At any rate, Cheong—who had nearly fallen forever into the pit of demonic cultivation—had come back. It was all thanks to the majestic guidance of her great senior, Mucheon-daeje. Unfortunately, Cheong had no memory of it. People sometimes erased memories to recover from severe shock. Her ultimate technique had always been Let’s just pretend that never happened.
The experience of the entire universe turning against her had long since surpassed what the fragile, pitiful mind of someone who once couldn’t even kill a bug could endure. But if she couldn’t remember, then she simply didn’t know. And Cheong did not dwell on things she didn’t know. She had already learned that forcing a memory only made it hide, while leaving it alone let it surface naturally—like those high-class dirty jokes old men suddenly remembered while lying down, causing them to burst out laughing.
Cheong gave the worried group an awkward smile. “I’m fine. Sorry for making you worry.”
Paeng Daesan frowned. “Are you really okay? You coughed up quite a lot of blood for someone who’s fine.”
“Me?”
Instead of answering, Paeng Daesan pointed to one side. At the end of his finger lay a pitch-black pool of blood. The amount was far too extraordinary to have come from a single person. Usually, if someone vomited that much blood, wouldn’t they die?
Cheong denied it immediately. “What is that? That’s not mine!”
“…You just threw it up.”
“Eh? Did I? I have no memory of that.”
“You even asked me to pound on your back.”
“Did I?” Cheong casually hid her blood-stained sleeve behind her back.
“Can you not be serious for once? Just in case, circulate your qi and check your meridians.”
Cheong obediently followed Paeng Daesan’s instructions. The internal energy that filled her dantian to the point of overflowing flowed smoothly through her body’s acupoints and meridians. It felt far more natural than before. Even though the speed at which her qi moved had increased, controlling the flow had actually become easier. She could now pour far more internal energy into a single strike than before.
“Oh? This is… really good?”
“Good?”
“Does vomiting blood do this? If I do it one more time, will I jump straight to Super Peak? Is this what enlightenment feels like?” Cheong grew excited.
Paeng Daesan personally experienced the phenomenon of being so utterly dumbfounded that words failed to emerge.
At that moment, Cheong turned to Yuha Jin-in. “Sect Leader, sir. That was a trace left behind by senior Mucheon-daeje. It’s called Thousand Changes, Ten Thousand Transformations.”
Yuha Jin-in’s eyebrows twitched. “Thousand Changes, Ten Thousand Transformations? What does that mean?”
“That stance. The martial art is called Dokgo-gugeom, and—”
“The solitary sword that seeks alone! How astonishing! By the heavens! Sword-friend! What a beautiful phrase! How can such profound words emerge from that crude and unruly mouth? Then that must be the insight of Mucheon-dae… je… Hmm.”
Namgung Sinjae had butted in. After spitting and ranting with fierce eyes, he caught Yuha Jin-in’s sharp glare and smoothly pretended to be a solemn young man again. But wait? Wasn’t there an unnecessary addition in the middle? And hadn’t her treatment been rather harsh?
While Cheong tilted her head and chewed over Namgung Sinjae’s words, Yuha Jin-in urged her on. “Youngest junior sister, speak in more detail.”
“I saw some kind of illusion. An old man turned into a sword? The sword ring swirled around like this and that.”
“Unity of Sword and Self! Sword ring! As expected of Mucheon-dae… je… Hmm.”
“Will you! Just! Stay quiet!”
“My apologies. It happened unconsciously…” Namgung Sinjae became polite once more. However, his politeness was slightly different from how he treated Cheong. It wasn’t born of fear toward Yuha Jin-in’s strength, but of respect for one of the greatest swordsmen of the Jianghu. After all, Yuha Jin-in was a ‘true swordsman’ worthy of Namgung Sinjae’s reverence.
While Namgung Sinjae shrank back, Cheong described to Yuha Jin-in the single stance the old man in the illusion had shown. It had been their promise, after all—if anything came to mind, she would tell him. Besides, it was a stance she had obtained without any effort. It was an insight Mucheon-daeje had left for the Mount Hua Sect. Since it wasn’t hers alone, they might as well share it nicely.
“So you read the sword scar! A heavenly talent! Truly a heavenly talent! Well then, can you demonstrate it?”
“Of course!” Cheong drew her sword with great vigor. And just as her brain and body remembered— as her brain and body remembered…
Cheong simply stared at her poor Wolgwang-geom (No. 8). “Uh… Hmm…”
“What is it, youngest junior sister?”
“I don’t know how to merge with the sword. I can’t even use sword qi yet…”
The stance she had learned with such effort was completely useless. There was no way a late Peak realm martial artist could replicate the supreme sword-gang technique that Mucheon-daeje had mastered in his later years. Cheong’s shoulders slumped. “Ah…”
Yuha Jin-in let out a sigh. She had read the sword scar, but her realm was still only late Peak, so it was impossible for her to reproduce it.
“It seems the youngest junior sister’s experience is still insufficient to grasp the mystery of Unity of Sword and Self.”
Yet Yuha Jin-in did not look disappointed. “Once your realm rises, you will naturally come to understand it. I am certain senior Mucheon-daeje’s insight will help you break through that wall as well.”
“Will it?”
“Of course.”
Inside Yuha Jin-in’s heart, his evaluation of Cheong shot straight upward—from a promising talent with strong backing to a hidden dragon and divine sword who could aim for the title of the greatest under heaven in the next generation. Building connections with powerful figures was, after all, a unique national instinct of the Central Plains people.
“You must be quite exhausted in both body and mind after spitting up so much blood. Rest well. For dinner, I shall prepare a grand feast to restore your strength. How does that sound?”
Food! Cheong’s eyes sparkled.
---
Cheong spent an extremely enjoyable week. It was none other than the sincere hospitality of Mount Hua’s sect leader. He doted on her so obviously that rumors began to circulate that he must have found a long-lost daughter in his old age.
Besides the sect’s own disciples, Mount Hua housed numerous guests. The grand banquets held throughout the week naturally saw those guests taking turns at the tables. As a result, it almost became an official Murim event attended by the named disciple of the Goddess Sect’s Daemo.
Yuha Jin-in went so far in his sincere hospitality that the highlight was this:
“She is truly like the incarnation of the Moon Maiden—a talent of the world who will soon be called the Divine Sword!”
There were many ways to earn a nickname in Murim. Among them were those created through the guarantee of someone with great authority. And Yuha Jin-in had gone completely overboard. The guests who visited Mount Hua ended up engraving the name they mistook for her nickname into their minds after seeing the Daemo’s named disciple.
Wol-a Divine Sword!
One of the habits of Jianghu people was being unable to endure the itch of knowing something others did not and having to tell them. The guests who later left Mount Hua would not hesitate to chatter about the sect leader’s excessive doting and the divine-like female hero who had appeared in the righteous path. Of course, they had no idea that this female hero of the righteous path took pleasure in killing people and wielded demonic arts.
At any rate, Cheong had enjoyed herself, and all enjoyment must eventually come to an end.
“So, what does our youngest junior sister plan to do now?”
At some point Cheong had been promoted from ‘youngest junior brother’ to ‘our youngest junior sister.’
“I’m thinking of returning to the Goddess Sect. It’s been quite a while since I last saw my master. I did tell her I would return when it got cold.”
“I see. Visit again anytime. This old senior brother gets lonely, so it would be nice to share news of the world.”
It was none other than Mount Hua’s sect leader personally seeing her off. Had the leaders of the other great sects seen this, they would have clicked their tongues and frowned, wondering how he could behave so shamelessly and vulgarly. However, Yuha Jin-in had always been evaluated as an unusually worldly person. The current prosperity of Mount Hua had come from exactly that trait, so he felt no shame.
“Changbin, take care. Let’s meet again someday.”
“Please take care as well, Lady Seomun…” Changbin answered while carefully watching the sect leader’s expression. As the senior disciple of his generation, Changbin would have to resume training at Mount Hua for some time.
And then.
“I must return to my clan now.”
“Right. Father’s anger should have subsided by now. I cannot stay away too long.”
“What? San! Sword-friend! You’re abandoning me?”
Paeng Daesan let out a deep sigh. The reason he had considered the title of Jade Qilin humiliating was because of his pride in being unquestionably the strongest among the younger generation. But that pride had been utterly shattered. Now, a burning desire for training and the next realm blazed inside Paeng Daesan’s heart. Above all, he did not want to lose to this woman.
Every time Cheong casually provoked him with ‘You’re weaker than me, aren’t you?’ an unbearable rage boiled up for some reason. Feeling his insides heat up again, Paeng Daesan took a deep breath and calmed his emotions.
“If you ever have business in Hebei, stop by the clan. I will feed you so much delicious food that your stomach bursts.”
Paeng Daesan took out a wooden box from his chest, fiddled with it, then removed a piece and held it out to Cheong.
“Whoa. What does this mean?”
“That way of speaking… Never mind.”
Cheong accepted the wooden plaque Paeng Daesan offered. It was a wooden tablet engraved with the name Paeng Daesan.
“It is a proof plaque that you are a guest of the Paeng Clan. Even if I am absent, the clan will treat you well as an honored guest.”
“I see! Sword-friend. Take mine as well. If you come to Anhui, visit this sword-friend’s family home. Any swordsman should visit the greatest sword clan under heaven at least once.”
Cheong received two plaques. She figured they were roughly like business cards. The concept was close enough. However, there were grades even among guest plaques. She did not know that the ones she had received were the highest-grade special plaques given only to the most honored guests.
Thus the group parted ways and headed toward their respective homes. There was no need to feel sad. If fate allowed, they would meet again. Or they could simply visit each other’s homes. No matter how enjoyable the play, it must eventually end and everyone returns home. Above all, she now had a home to return to.