How Long Am I Supposed to Stay Like This?
Yeon Sohee gazed down at Cheon Seolhyeon, who lay collapsed on the ground, from her seat upon the dais.
"..."
Seated beside her, Cheon Myeong, the Sect Leader of Wudang, spoke to her.
"That was unmistakably the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique of the Sword Immortal, was it not?"
"It would seem so."
It was far too obvious to deny. After all, Yeon Sohee and Cheon Myeong were among the very few living souls who had ever witnessed the true power of that technique.
A hundred years ago, when the Heavenly Demon Cult had risen to prominence and begun its invasion of the Central Plains, the Nine Great Sects and the Seven Great Clans had stood at the very forefront, facing down the waves of demonic beasts and demonic cultivators that poured over the land.
Especially the demonic beasts, birthed from their wicked dark arts of corruption... they were nothing short of a nightmare none of them wished to recall.
Just as everyone had been sinking into despair, the Head of the Cheon Clan, one of the Seven Great Clans of that era, had drawn his sword. Blue lightning had spiraled down from the darkened heavens and rained upon the earth like a storm, annihilating every last demonic creature that carried that foul taint in a single stroke.
Yeon Sohee ground her teeth at the memory of that mythical spectacle, wrought by a warrior of the Profound realm.
"That day, the martial artists of the Harmony realm in Murim were quietly picked off one by one... and he, the righteous path's sole Profound-realm master, ascended to the Celestial Realm together with the Heavenly Demon of that age..."
"...Indeed."
"There is no true essence in it... but that was without question the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique."
"We cannot simply let it pass, can we?"
"The child has proven her potential well beyond doubt. If we were to fail her now, then not a single child would ever seek to enter Wudang again, would they?"
"Fair enough. And the last descendant of a hero of the righteous path... Wudang cannot very well pretend ignorance of her."
"And what would you do if the Evil Black Alliance invaded Wudang itself in pursuit of the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique?"
"Surely they would not go to such lengths."
"They are the ones who exterminated the Cheon Clan — the clan under the Sword Immortal's protection — without a moment's hesitation. We must have countermeasures for this..."
"Then... I suppose it would come to war between the Evil Black Alliance and the Murim Alliance. They do not hold the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique in quite such high regard."
"..."
Yeon Sohee looked distinctly displeased about something, but she said nothing more, only turned her gaze back to where Cheon Seolhyeon lay.
Cheon Myeong studied her expression before asking,
"You must be pleased, gathering two such exceptional disciples."
"...I don't recall saying I was taking anyone in?"
He deftly changed the subject, as if he already knew everything.
"There is an Elder Council tomorrow. Do not be late. 'That one' is to attend as well."
"I have... a certain amount of explaining to do on that front."
"Do it tomorrow. Once all the facts have been laid bare, I will decide what is to be done with you and that child."
Cheon Myeong's gaze turned toward Baek Sihyeok, perched atop a boulder.
Yeon Sohee clicked her tongue and rose from her seat.
"Do as you please. Then, if you'll excuse me."
She bit down on her lip as she looked at one of her female disciples, who was hovering at Baek Sihyeok's side, chattering away at him.
Before Cheon Myeong could say a word of protest, Yeon Sohee crossed the distance to Baek Sihyeok in a single step — a movement as though she had simply leapt over space itself.
Right now, the Elder Council was the last thing that mattered.
"...Was there truly any need to drive her off so mercilessly?"
I asked, recalling the back of the female disciple who had fled nearly in tears, unable to withstand the pressure radiating off Yeon Sohee.
I mean, maybe the girl just wanted to make a friend.
But the reaction I got in return was ice cold.
"Do you have any idea what your standing within the sect is worth? Judged by rank alone, you sit higher than the Sect Leader and the Elders themselves. And you think it's proper for a mere Second-Rank Disciple to strike up conversation with someone of your position?!"
"...I mean, she's still my age, though."
"The laws of the sect are sacrosanct. Speak no such nonsense and follow me."
"..."
We passed through the Sword Testing Ground, threaded our way past countless halls and pavilions, and climbed the stairs.
Then we stopped before an enormous peak.
Yeon Sohee looked up at it and spoke.
"This is Celestial Pillar Peak. At the very summit stands Celestial Pillar Pavilion, my residence. Make your own way up."
"Y-yes, Master..."
Truly, it was so tall that my neck ached just from craning upward — tall enough that I worried whether I could spread the Heavenly Thunder Taegeuk Steps and reach the top before my inner energy ran dry.
But that worry soon evaporated.
Unlike the way she had vanished in the blink of an eye until now, Yeon Sohee began to climb — slowly, stepping off the cliff face as though she were leaping from cloud to cloud.
"So that's Ladder-Crossing Ascent..."
Wudang's exclusive lightness technique. Copying it wasn't particularly difficult.
"I'll just use that whenever I need to climb a cliff from now on."
The forms of the Ladder-Crossing Ascent and the Heavenly Thunder Taegeuk Steps mingled together in my mind. Settling on a new name didn't take long.
"Heavenly Ladder Taegeuk Steps."
I kicked off the ground and leapt skyward, and the yin and yang energies that formed the Taegeuk whirled within my body, their colossal power harnessed as propulsion. I became a single bolt of lightning, soaring endlessly into the empty air.
Perhaps because I had mastered the Yang's Infinite Divine Art, every one of Wudang's techniques was unfolding with a potency unlike anything they'd possessed before.
I reached the summit of Celestial Pillar Peak in what was, quite literally, an instant.
Yeon Sohee, who had arrived first and was watching me come up, wore an expression absolutely brimming with disbelief.
When exactly did you say you'd climb up here?
"I'm fairly certain I passed you first."
"I wished to show you that I am no worthless master slower than her own disciple."
"So you're honestly admitting you just couldn't stand to lose."
"Hmph, the nerve of this brat?"
She glared at me with that rebuke.
When a Harmony-realm warrior does that, most Peak-realm martial artists would wither in fear.
And Baek Sihyeok was one of them. Having just been made to grasp, firsthand, how terrifyingly strong a Harmony-realm master truly was, my shoulders hunched of their own accord.
Yeon Sohee watched me for a moment, and only then let a satisfied smile spread across her face.
"Good. Be more careful from now on. Follow me — I have something to say to you."
"...Yes, Master."
I followed Yeon Sohee through the great gate and into the courtyard within.
The scale of the pavilion standing at its heart was, in a word, staggering.
"You... live here all alone?"
"Not anymore. You two will be dwelling here as well. But that can wait — there is something more urgent."
"Yes?"
"Your talent is dangerous. It must be hidden somehow, no matter what. If word gets out, many people will come hunting for you."
Oh.
And here I thought it was something else.
"Master, who in their right mind would want their martial arts exposed? Besides you and Seolhyeon, no one knows. You needn't worry."
"Indeed. Better that I become the wretch who leaked the sect's martial arts to an outsider than for you to be the boy who carries such a perilous talent. So you will drill every one of Wudang's fundamental techniques into that head of yours by nightfall."
"...? Pardon?"
"A boy who hasn't even learned Wudang's foundational arts, yet somehow plucked out only the Yang's Infinite Divine Art and the Taegeuk Wisdom Sword? And at the Peak realm, no less? That's preposterous. If I am to hide your ability from my Fourth Elder Brother, the Taegeuk Sword Emperor Un Hyeon... then you must learn them all today."
"That doesn't sound all that difficult."
If I understood correctly, she was telling me she would personally demonstrate arts I'd never seen before, right before my eyes.
For me, that wasn't a chore — it was the greatest pleasure imaginable.
And so I began devouring the martial arts of Wudang that Yeon Sohee unfolded before me, etching every one of them into my mind.
The Five Elements Sword Art, thirty-six seconds.
The Supreme Clarity Sword Art, twenty-four seconds.
The Two Principles Sword Art, six seconds.
The Great Heaven Taiyi Finger.
The Ten-Stage Brocade.
The Shadowless Divine Grasping Hand.
The Flowing Cloud Movement Art.
And countless other techniques besides.
"...Have you seen them all?"
Yeon Sohee turned back to look at me. She had swung her sword without a single pause for two full hours, yet not a trace of fatigue showed on her.
"Yes. I've seen them all."
"Good. Well. If you've seen them, that's enough."
Without a shred of doubt, she sheathed her sword and showed me to the quarters I would be using.
The room assigned to me was directly adjacent to Yeon Sohee's own.
"...Um, there are plenty of other rooms. Is there really a need for it to be right next door?"
"How could master and disciple possibly dwell far apart?"
"..."
"I will bring the evening meal, so wait in your quarters. It should take half a shichen."
"Yes..."
They say the senses of a Harmony-realm warrior transcend imagination. Could she really tell what I was doing in the next room from sound alone?
I had a feeling even spreading a qi barrier would be utterly useless.
"..."
She didn't look like she'd hear me out anyway, so I simply watched her back as she stepped out of Celestial Pillar Pavilion.
"...Half a shichen is an hour, you know."
I reached out with my qi senses to the other presence they caught — and set off toward the place where an all-too-familiar aura stirred.
The room to the right of Yeon Sohee's was mine. And the one to the left was...
"So this is where you were, Cheon Seolhyeon."
"...Baek Sihyeok."
I opened the door and stepped inside, and there she was — buried under her blanket, sniffling and shivering.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I pushed myself a bit too hard... *cough*..."
I walked over and pressed my hand against her forehead. Then I flinched back, startled by the heat burning at my fingertips.
"What the — why are you running such a high fever?"
"I'll be fine if I rest a little... don't worry."
"...Is there anything I can do to help?"
I'd meant to bring up the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique, but how was I supposed to with her in this state?
To get my hands on any clues about martial arts, Cheon Seolhyeon needed to recover, and quickly.
Then Cheon Seolhyeon gripped my shoulder and slowly rose.
"Just... hold me a little."
"Huh? Will that actually help you get better?"
"Mm... probably."
When I pulled her into my arms, it felt like cradling a ball of fire against my chest. Maybe it was because she was so small, but she fit neatly against me — the perfect size to tuck away.
She buried her face against my chest, hot breath spilling from her lips.
I wrapped my arms tight around her back and thought.
...How long am I supposed to stay like this, exactly?
And so... about a quarter of an hour had passed.
From outside, I sensed the footsteps of someone approaching.