Yeonhwa Vanishes
Silence fell in an instant.
Cheon Doseong's expression as she stared at me was far from ordinary.
From the look of it, her grip on her sword hilt was tight as iron.
Was she thinking of going another round?
"……Hoo."
Soon enough, she lowered her blade.
"Who was worrying about whom, huh? Fine, I won't go dying pointlessly out there anytime soon."
"His Majesty said the same thing."
Only then did the tension drain from my body.
As the strain eased, my mind flashed back to what had just happened.
What the hell was that sensation I'd felt?
It was definitely different from handling qi in the usual way.
"Even so, you're freakishly strong. You got some connection to Jujak Palace or something?"
She tossed out the question from left field.
Jujak Palace? Why the hell was that coming up?
"Never even been there."
"Hmm. Really? And you've still reached this level…… Honestly, I'm shocked. Wait, shocked? Nah, more like pissed. Pissed as hell. I wanna jump back in and fight right now."
Cheon Doseong sheathed her sword as she spoke.
"I was planning to give you a little spanking."
"Looked like it. You pack a hell of a punch yourself, Cheon Doseong."
"……A little? Puhuh, ouch, that stings the pride. You're probably the only one in the world who'd dare say something that cocky to me."
No need for her pride to take a hit. I meant it.
If not for that weird sensation, I'd have gotten my ass handed to me, just like she said.
Partly because I'd let my guard down, but her swordsmanship was genuinely profound.
This spar had made me reflect on myself.
Since when had I gotten this sloppy?
To pull this dogshit after just a month or so of being pampered here.
"Good spar."
I cupped my fists in respect.
Cheon Doseong brushed off her fallen bamboo hat from the ground and replied.
"Whatever. I got my ass kicked instead."
"If it'd been a life-or-death duel, your first move would've ended me."
I shook my head as I said it, and her expression softened.
"Ahahaha! Cut the flattery."
And then, abruptly. Her smile vanished.
"Mumyeong, how about being my disciple after all?"
It wasn't her usual light tone.
Cheon Doseong's voice had sunk heavy.
"No, let me rephrase the offer. Tell me what you want. I'll make it happen, whatever's within my power."
Hard to brush that off casually now.
I met her eyes head-on.
"Sorry, but no. Honestly, I don't think we'd mesh well."
"……."
Cheon Doseong stared at me for a moment, then pulled her bamboo hat low.
"Fine. Can't be helped."
She turned her back.
"Guess we won't be seeing each other for a while. Not that frequent meetings would be good anyway. Next time we cross paths, it'll be wartime. Or maybe you'll have committed some unforgivable sin against me."
"Got it. Kinda disappointing."
"What? After acting like such a brat this whole time?"
"I wanna spar again. Exchange sword strikes, test techniques, grow stronger together."
At my words, the corners of Cheon Doseong's mouth curved softly upward.
Her eyes were hidden under the deeply pulled hat, but I could tell.
Right now, she was genuinely delighted.
Maybe the first real smile I'd seen from her.
"Greedy bastard. Then again, that's how a man should be."
Boom! A thunderous roar echoed.
Cheon Doseong was finally taking off.
"Guess I'll have to get greedy too. Somehow, I'll make you my disciple."
"That's a bit much."
"Not even one polite word! Not one! You've got no charm!"
She tensed her toes, then added one last thing.
"Anyway, take my advice to heart. I wanna see you stick around a while."
With that, Cheon Doseong vanished.
I stared long at the spot she'd left, then sat cross-legged.
That day, I found the key to my inner cultivation method.
Dozens of days passed since then.
I was still honing my inner cultivation method.
And now.
I'd finally completed it.
Sitting on a courtyard rock, I quietly closed my eyes.
Qi has its own nature. Not like magic where it suddenly shoots lightning or spews fire or anything.
You know how people with different constitutions—like extreme yang body, extreme yin body, or three calamities body—handle qi differently?
So they cultivate energies that suit them best and learn martial arts accordingly. That's the norm.
But I don't know my constitution. Who the hell accurately knows their own anyway?
One thing I do know, though.
Every time I'd circulated qi so far, it always carried a scorching heat.
So, yang.
Plus, my swordsmanship had always been ferocious for survival's sake—meng.
Extreme yang and rigid ferocity. I wanted to be like the lightning I'd seen that day.
It flashed in my mind.
The scenery.
The lightning.
The split earth.
The massive waves.
A heart method beyond your level just poisons you.
But that lightning I'd witnessed dominated the heavens.
Thus, Thunder Emperor.
Nothing remained in its wake.
Infinite Void.
Hence, Rraeje Muguk Simbeop.
My meridians twisted painfully. To the point where qi deviation felt imminent.
So no greed. I'm just a newborn babe at the starting line right now.
Slowly, but not too slow.
I drew up my inner energy.
Thump! Thump! My heart pounded like mad.
The qi had surged through countless meridians in an instant.
Blood raced, my whole body felt like it might burst.
This'd lead straight to qi deviation.
Don't stop thinking.
What movement did that lightning make?
The sensation during the spar with Cheon Doseong?
The paths and forms to wield it?
At some point, my heartbeat sounded like thunderclaps.
A scorching heat coursed through my pulse.
I snapped my eyes open.
There it was again—that scenery.
Thunderous roars vibrated the air, pounding my eardrums.
My vision filled with massive bolts like ruptured veins devouring the sky.
The moment they struck ground, everything returned to nothingness.
The acrid scent of char filled my nostrils.
And as the lightning consumed all.
I finally opened my eyes for real.
Sweat poured off me like crazy. Blood trickled from spots here and there.
Fuck, nearly bit the dust there.
Strength drained from my entire body.
I barely tilted my head back and caught my breath.
Started at sunrise, and now the sun was setting.
I roughly washed off the blood and drew Cheongroe Geom.
I circulated my inner energy again. But slightly different from before.
Qi flowed steeply. Heart thundered huge, every muscle taut like it might explode.
Thump! The instant I stepped forward, the sword was already swinging.
A faint breeze grazed my cheek.
My lips trembled.
"……This works?"
Was I some kind of genius? Turns out I was born with a heavenly martial body or some shit?
Still just at the starting line, but I'd definitely grown.
The thrill was indescribable—I threw my arms wide.
"Fuuuuck!"
Hell yeah! This is it!
If I hadn't come to this Geumryong Palace and just wandered around sightseeing, I never would've completed the heart method.
It was thanks to Cheon Doseong and Cheongroe Geom.
Without the sword showing me that vision, I never would've conceived the principles. Without her, I never would've grasped the theory.
Yeah, gotta live righteously.
Helping folks out leads to shit like this.
Speaking of, how long is this infinite standby mode gonna last?
Up till now, I'd been focused on the heart method so it didn't bug me, but now I was legit bored as hell.
"When the fuck are the missions coming?"
I grumbled to myself and flopped down.
Clouds rolled in.
Damn, now it was raining too.
Whoosh—the drizzle turned to a downpour, hammering the ground viciously.
Cold rain trickled down my hair.
Felt refreshing. I'd sweated buckets anyway—good timing.
I savored the afterglow for a bit, blankly staring at the moon through the clouds.
Then, I sensed a presence.
I turned. A figure in ragged cloth pulled low over their head had flung open the courtyard gate, gasping raggedly.
"Who're you?"
"……Huff, huff."
The man shed the cloth, still heaving.
It was Baekrok.
"Hey, old man, you shouldn't be running around like that at your age. Bones'll snap."
"……That's not the issue right now, Mumyeong."
He caught his breath and spoke.
"Princess Yeonhwa is gone."