Shaolin's Library of Martial Arts
The fact that martial arts could be unleashed without a sword struck me as strange in a way that was almost delightful, and I found myself wanting to know how it was done.
“The final blow you showed us also attacked by shaping your internal energy into a dragon form.”
Indeed, the last strike, Ice Dragon Emerging From the Sea, had not so much knocked Geumgang unconscious by hitting him with the White Moon Blade as it had by the flow of internal energy that burst forth together with the sword.
“Hoho... at such a young age, you’ve already achieved something remarkable.”
“That’s right! When my brother’s sword sheath spat out a dragon, the force was incredible!”
Sohee said, giving a thumbs-up.
“Am I really that strong?”
To be honest, I hadn’t lost a duel or sparring match in a while, and because I’d never fought anyone stronger than myself, I had no real sense of how far I’d grown.
Perhaps reading my expression, Shin Yu-eun spoke up.
“Young Master Han, I think you already possess the level of martial ability held by the head of a sect.”
Sohee nodded at Shin Yu-eun’s words.
Venerable Won-gak also seemed to agree as he spoke.
“You may be stronger than this old monk. Hoho...”
“Surely not.”
His praise made me a little embarrassed.
Still, a sect leader’s level? I didn’t think I was there yet.
Because my father came to mind.
Could I beat Father now?
Whenever I asked myself that, the answer was still no.
“From the look of it, Young Master’s martial arts were created by your own hand, were they not?”
Venerable Won-gak had only seen my martial arts once, and yet he had immediately recognized it.
“That’s right. Since I created it myself, there are still many shortcomings.”
“Then I may be able to help you, Young Master. Hoho... Follow me.”
Smiling softly, Venerable Won-gak led us somewhere else.
What we arrived at was a wooden building with quite a few floors.
“What is this place?”
“This is Shaolin’s library, where we keep the martial arts texts we have collected. We do not store Shaolin’s own secret arts or ultimate techniques here, but we do possess the largest collection of martial arts books in the Central Plains. Not only martial arts, but all sorts of battle methods and records as well.”
“Oh... so this is the famous...”
Sohee’s eyes were already wide, and she looked as if she wanted to rush inside at once.
Venerable Won-gak went in and explained things to the keeper.
“I’ve passed along the word, so feel free to look around as you wish. However, you may not take any books outside, so please keep that in mind. Hoho...”
Having said that, Venerable Won-gak stepped aside and left us to it.
“Then let’s have some free time until dinner and meet back here!”
Sohee was already off and running somewhere.
“Then I’ll go browse around a little too.”
Shin Yu-eun also started reading through various texts around the spear section.
Then I should look at sword arts or blade techniques?
I naturally headed for the area where sword arts and blade techniques were gathered.
As I walked, scanning the martial arts books on the shelves, I found an astonishing variety of styles.
But perhaps because they weren’t especially high-level, nothing I read gave me much of a spark.
There were many similar slashes and thrusts, and the methods for circulating internal energy all seemed rather rudimentary.
Still, because there were so many books, I occasionally came across inventive moves.
What do I need most right now?
At present, it felt as though I had three finished techniques: Ice Dragon Emerging From the Sea, a powerful finishing strike; Ice Flower Dance, for attacking and counterattacking in a variety of situations; and Flowing Sword Dance, for letting an opponent’s attack slide past.
The spinning slash and Ice Rain both had conditions attached, and especially in the case of Ice Rain, its offensive power fell off drastically.
Ice Rain was meant to strike multiple opponents from a distance.
It had been effective against jiangshi, but against people it was little more than scattering ice pellets through the air, and it wasn’t much use if I wanted to deal real damage.
So, thinking about how I might improve Ice Rain, I moved toward the section where books on hidden weapons were gathered.
There were quite a lot of texts on hidden-weapon techniques, but most of them were about the vital points one should aim for when throwing them.
“Nothing here really catches my eye...”
As I kept wandering, Shin Yu-eun came into view.
Wanting to clear my head for a moment, I walked over to her.
By the time I got close, she was so absorbed in the book that she hadn’t noticed me at all.
“Found anything interesting?”
“Eek!”
At my voice, Shin Yu-eun jumped and looked up at me.
“You startled me... There really are so many different martial arts here.”
She said, pressing a hand to her chest.
I noticed the spear manual she was holding.
It was a book called Wave Spear Technique.
“What kind of martial art was it?”
“I saw the title and thought it might take the form of rippling waves, with some kind of illusionary subtlety, so I read it—but it wasn’t like that at all.”
“Really? That’s unexpected. Then what sort of subtlety did it use?”
“It contained the subtlety of weight, so it was a pretty domineering martial art. The name is quite cute, though.”
Shin Yu-eun answered with a quiet chuckle.
“Would it be all right if I took a look too?”
“Of course. I’ve already finished reading it.”
She handed the manual to me.
I took Wave Spear Technique and found a quiet spot to sit and read.
The spearwork lived up to the name of the manual; it resembled waves.
Yet rather than pursuing the irregular, dazzling shape of the sea, it seemed to aim for a massive, overwhelming force that kept pressing in.
Waves that keep rolling in without end...
I sat quietly and thought about it.
After pondering for quite a while, it was already evening, and I headed for the entrance to the library.
Sohee and Shin Yu-eun were already waiting there.
“Did I keep you waiting long?”
“Not long at all!”
Sohee answered brightly.
She looked as though she’d had a thoroughly enjoyable time in the library.
“Did you find any inspiration from Wave Spear Technique?”
Shin Yu-eun asked me casually.
“A little, I think. I feel like I found the direction I need.”
Since we were at Shaolin Temple, dinner was mostly vegetarian.
There was no meat, which was surprising, but the food didn’t taste bad at all.
Still, because it seemed one had to maintain silence during meals, and the monks didn’t say a single word, it felt a little stiff.
I quickly finished eating and went into the lodging Venerable Won-gak had prepared for us.
“Hah... Somehow I’ve ended up with Shaolin’s support. Am I supposed to be pleased about that?”
Lying alone on my bed, I sank into thought, and the idea of becoming the next Martial Alliance Leader began to feel more and more real.
To be honest, the position of alliance leader was a troublesome one, but it also carried the admiration and respect of everyone, so it didn’t seem entirely bad either.
“The current Alliance Leader also, frankly...”
Thinking of Namgung Taeseong, I even found myself wondering whether I couldn’t do the job after all.
I’d always thought of him as the sort of person who ran on mood and did whatever he pleased, so I began to suspect the work of an alliance leader might not be as difficult as it sounded.
While I was thinking that way, sleep quietly took me.
And then, the next morning.
We packed our things and prepared to leave Shaolin Temple.
The road ahead was long, and since we had already been recognized by the temple’s abbot, there was no reason to linger any longer.
“Then we’ll be on our way. Thank you for everything, Venerable.”
“Hoho... I wish you good fortune in the days ahead, Young Master.”
Venerable Won-gak and Geumgang saw us off as we left.
“Our next destination is Mount Hua.”
“Mount Hua was Cheongpung’s sect, right?”
“Their swordsmanship was quite dazzling.”
Shin Yu-eun muttered as if recalling Cheongpung’s Plum Blossom Sword Art.
“The sword arts of Mount Hua pursue the subtleties of speed and illusion, so they do look splendid.”
Sure enough, I remembered Cheongpung’s Plum Blossom Sword Art blossoming from the tip of his blade in a gorgeous display.
“What kind of sect is Mount Hua?”
At my question, Sohee’s lecture began anew.
“Mount Hua is one of the sects known as the Nine Great Sects, and it’s one of the most widely known among them.”
“That means they’re strong?”
“They are strong, yes, but they’re also located geographically right in the center of the Central Plains. And among the Nine Great Sects, they’re probably the most open-minded sect as well.”
“Open-minded?”
“Most sects treat their training as a kind of cultivation, so they tend to keep their distance from the mundane world. People often say they’re practicing the Way. But Mount Hua is different. They place importance on a variety of experiences, so they take a keen interest in the world at large.”
“I see... so sects generally aren’t very interested in worldly affairs?”
“That’s why the Martial Alliance regularly holds martial tournaments to encourage participation, and why it gathers all the sects together for events like this purge operation, so they can strengthen their sense of unity. There are sects that become far too isolated. But even those sects seek peace in the Central Plains martial world, which is why they belong to the Martial Alliance.”
“Complicated...”
“There’s only one thing you need to be careful about at Mount Hua.”
“What’s that?”
Shin Yu-eun asked, sounding curious.
“You must avoid mentioning Zhongnan Sect.”
“Zhongnan Sect? What kind of sect is that?”
“Zhongnan Sect didn’t take part in the Blood-drinking Demon purge, but it is one of the Nine Great Sects. It’s the sect geographically closest to Mount Hua, since they share the same region. They also both mainly use swords, but the subtlety they pursue is the exact opposite, which is why they don’t get along very well.”
“Since Mount Hua pursues speed and illusion...”
“Zhongnan Sect pursues weight. So they look down on each other a little and keep one another in check.”
As we talked, Mount Hua, the famed mountain where the sect stood, finally came into view.
The distant peak already made my breath catch in my throat.
“We have to climb that, don’t we?”
At my question, Sohee and Shin Yu-eun quietly nodded.