The First Lesson
The question of whether Seo-ah would become No-ya’s daughter or his granddaughter was settled with surprising simplicity.
“Right? I mean, the age gap is just too wide for us to be father and daughter.”
“Indeed, I was thinking the same. A granddaughter it is. That suits us perfectly.”
Thanks to the fact that Seo-ah and No-ya were in complete agreement, the decision was made without a hitch.
“Then... shouldn’t I go pay my respects to the man who’s going to be my father?”
“Respects? What respects? You say your future is bleak, yet you have time for such leisure? We can do that later. Later... training comes first.”
And just like that, Seo-ah gained a father she had never even sat down to talk with. On paper, she had become the adopted daughter of the Family Head.
After returning to their quarters, Seo-ah and No-ya headed straight for the empty indoor training hall. It had been about two months since Seo-ah first encountered martial arts. Now, for the first time, she was finally going to learn under a proper master. Her heart began to race with excitement.
Before beginning the first lesson, No-ya spoke.
“Before we start, I need to explain the internal cultivation art you’ve been practicing in detail.”
Only then did Seo-ah realize she had never received a proper explanation of the art she had been using. She knew vaguely that it was an extraordinary technique called the Ash Dust Heart Art, which was passed down to the direct line of the Sword Family. But that was all. It was the kind of information anyone, even those outside the family, might know. Ironically, Seo-ah hadn’t even known that No-ya was a member of the Sword Family, though she had once spent time agonizing over the origins of her martial arts.
No-ya asked, “Tell me everything you know about the Ash Dust Heart Art.”
“Um... it’s the secret art of the Extreme Demonic Sword Family, and... I suppose the fact that your hair turns grey as you reach higher levels of mastery?”
“Correct. But it seems you don’t know the true functions of the Ash Dust Heart Art.”
Seo-ah nodded. No-ya continued his explanation.
“Demonic arts have very distinct characteristics. They are unique, eye-catching, and often come with severe side effects. But they are equally powerful in their utility.”
“For example... if I were to name a high-level demonic art you might know, there is the Dark Cloud Demonic Art. It has the ability to create countless ‘copies’ of oneself.”
For a moment, Seo-ah imagined countless versions of So-yul hovering around her. It wasn’t a very pleasant thought. Countless versions of herself... how on earth was that even possible?
Seo-ah’s contemplation didn’t last long, as No-ya continued.
“However... we swordsmen do not need such flashy functions.”
Seo-ah kept her mouth shut and listened intently.
“To imbue a sword with one’s intent, you need an immense amount of internal energy. For our art, that is more than enough.”
“The Ash Dust Heart Art doesn’t have major side effects. The only outward signs are the change in hair color and the fact that your sword qi and gang-qi turn ash-grey. That’s about it.”
“If I had to list a few side effects... I suppose you might become a bit impulsive.”
Seo-ah asked, “Impulsive?”
“You could say it allows you to become intensely immersed in one thing. Various emotions flare up... and eventually, only one thought remains in your mind.”
“Hmm...”
“Don’t worry too much about it. It’s highly volatile by nature, so it will fade quickly.”
Having finished explaining the side effects, No-ya began to describe the true functions of the Ash Dust Heart Art in earnest.
“The function of the Ash Dust Heart Art lies in the efficiency of internal energy and the ease of its circulation, making it simple to infuse your sword with true qi. It also has the advantage of building internal energy faster than other arts. But that is all.”
“But for a swordsman, that’s enough, right?”
“Exactly. It’s more than enough.” No-ya smiled, looking satisfied.
“The Ash Dust Heart Art is divided into three major realms.”
To summarize No-ya’s explanation:
The Ash Realm (): Roughly the third-star achievement. It means you have officially entered the Ash Dust Heart Art, corresponding to the first half of the technique. The characteristic is that your hair begins to turn pure white, and the circulation of internal energy becomes slightly more fluid.
The Grey Realm (): Roughly the sixth-star achievement. It means your progress in the Ash Dust Heart Art is on track, corresponding to the middle stage. The characteristic is that half or more of your hair turns white, and you achieve an efficiency equal to thirty percent of your total internal energy.
The Living Realm (): This signifies Great Completion. You have perfectly mastered the Ash Dust Heart Art, corresponding to the final stage. The characteristic is that all of your hair turns white, and from this point on, you achieve an efficiency equal to double your total internal energy. In other words, you will almost never find yourself in a crisis or difficulty due to a lack of internal energy.
No-ya added, even if the Ash Dust Heart Art might not be the number one art under the heavens, for a swordsman, it was the greatest art in history regarding the circulation and efficiency of internal energy.
When Seo-ah heard about the Living Realm, where all one’s hair turns white, certain people flashed through her mind.
“The... young sect leaders of my age who appeared at the meeting hall all had completely white hair. Have they all reached Great Completion?”
“That’s not the case. The children of those who have reached Great Completion in the Ash Dust Heart Art are born that way. It doesn’t continue past the third generation, though...”
“That’s a relief.”
Seo-ah had been worried that she might have to cross swords with a martial artist who had reached that Living Realm, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case. Having already survived a few life-or-death battles, Seo-ah knew all too well how maddening the limitations of internal energy could be.
In the upcoming sparring match, even if they restricted their internal energy to half a gap-ja, if one had reached the Living Realm, wouldn’t they effectively be using a full gap-ja? If that were the case, her winning chances, which were already slim, would have hit rock bottom.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to worry about that.
“Now... I think the explanation is over. Pick up your sword. From now on, I will teach you the sword.”
Seo-ah had been listening quite diligently to No-ya’s explanation, but her expression changed at the mention of learning the sword. Aside from the half-baked Swift White-Shattering Sword, she hadn’t really learned any proper sword techniques. So, how could she not be excited? As someone who hadn’t learned any sword techniques other than horizontal and vertical slashes, she couldn’t help but be expectant.
“Watch closely... the sword technique you will learn this time is the Seven Demonic Swords.”
Seo-ah’s eyes sparkled. Her heart began to race. No-ya’s sword fell, and Seo-ah’s eyes...
Seo-ah’s eyes went cold. The sound of her heart, which had been racing with excitement and anticipation, could no longer be heard. The reason was very simple. The sword technique No-ya had shown her was very... very different from the peerless, high-level sword technique she had imagined.
Noticing her gaze, No-ya chuckled and said to her, “Why? Is it very different from what you thought?”
“Um... yes. It’s too simple.”
“Of course. It’s a basic sword technique.”
“Pardon?”
“Did you think you’d inherit my insights in a week and go flying through the sky?”
Seo-ah’s lips pouted. Even if it wasn’t to that extent, she had hoped he would give her a move capable of defeating a first-class expert.
“No, but still...”
Noticing her dissatisfaction, No-ya cut off her complaining words early.
“There are no shortcuts, you brat. Especially in martial arts. You need a solid foundation before you can build anything on top of it, don’t you?”
“...”
“This is the basic sword technique of this Sword Family. It’s also the first technique taught in all branches of the family. So, don’t even think about slacking off.”
“What choice do I have now? I’ll work hard. Obviously...”
Perhaps her expectations had been too high. Seo-ah couldn’t stop her lips from pouting. Of course, it was far superior to the Swift White-Shattering Sword or simple slashes, and it was a technique she needed, but... how should she put it? If she had to use a metaphor, it was like expecting at least a hundred thousand won in New Year’s money and receiving fifty thousand instead.
Just as Seo-ah was trying to steel her heart... No-ya dropped a bombshell.
“Now. From here on out, you will swing the Seven Demonic Swords from the first form to the seventh form. One thousand times. Without using internal energy.”
“What? O... one thousand times?”
“Yes. One thousand times.”
“No, that’s...”
Is that even possible? As Seo-ah blinked her eyes, looking at No-ya as if she hadn’t heard him correctly, No-ya clicked his tongue, approached her, and touched her soft arms as he continued.
“Tsk tsk. You brat. Is this the arm of a martial artist? Is this a martial artist’s arm? You’ve only ever held a sword with internal energy, so your external strength hasn’t increased at all. Listen well, do you know why external strength is important...”
Seo-ah had to listen to No-ya’s lecture on external strength for over an hour. As No-ya’s scolding continued without end, Seo-ah shouted as if she had surrendered.
“Ah... I’ll do it! One thousand times! I’ll do it, okay!”
Seo-ah’s first training session was very different from what she had imagined. Watching No-ya unfold a sword technique like a transcendent immortal, following his movements, and receiving his praise... that picture-perfect master-disciple relationship from a novel seemed too early for her. And so, a bit of her childhood innocence melted away in her heart.