Even Flashy Forms Strike True
To Jeong Gwang, it was only natural.
All Streams Return to the Source—every flow ultimately converges into one.
Kunlun martial arts might differ from demonic arts, but they were still martial arts at heart.
Retracing a path he'd already walked before—why make a fuss?
Unlike the thick, murderous demonic arts, Kunlun techniques were elegant, which he quite enjoyed learning.
Of course, not everything was perfect.
Knowing how to wield them properly was enough, but what was all this about benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trust, strictness, and courage?
And why were there so many convoluted incantations just to sound profound?
Once he grasped the true intent and filtered out the rest, it was bearable.
But still.
'Heaven is long-enduring and Earth lasts long; the reason Heaven and Earth are long-enduring and last long is that they do not live for themselves, and thus they are able to endure long.'
Even recalling a single passage from the Daojing, which every Taoist had to memorize, made his head throb.
He was destined to leave this place.
That was why he'd asked to be taught the secret inner cultivation method right away.
"Ahh... Original Celestial Venerable."
Un Hu murmured something odd, his eyes misty with emotion.
"Thank you for sending Jeong Gwang to us."
Kunlun was one of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, yet it was often dismissed as far inferior to Shaolin or Wudang.
And now, a divine dragon had appeared in such a Kunlun.
The supreme under the heavens!
If not this child, then who could claim the title?
Un Hu, revered as a True Man, couldn't hide his excitement at the glory unfolding before his eyes for his sect.
His body even trembled.
"Kunlun... mighty Kunlun..."
Jeong Gwang clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight of Un Hu.
Tsk tsk. Has he lost his mind to the wind?
A gentleman of few years yet full of virtue—how had he ended up like this... Wait.
Jeong Gwang flinched.
Wasn't this the legendary compassion he'd only heard about?
Had Kunlun's teachings finally moved him?
For a man who'd begged his foes to kill him cleanly only to grind them underfoot for three days and nights, this was remarkable progress.
Well, whatever.
It must have just been pointless pity.
A closer look revealed Un Hu's cheeks flushing with delight.
Anyone could see he was over the moon.
"...Grand-master?"
"Ahh, to think this day would come..."
"Grand-master!"
"Ah! Yes! What is it?"
"The Supreme Pure Unsurpassed Divine Art."
Asking for Kunlun's secret ultimate technique as casually as if requesting a snack.
Normally, he'd deserve a scolding, but Un Hu's reaction was different.
"Of course! Wait just a moment!"
He vanished like the wind, belying his lost inner energy.
The one he sought was the sect leader.
"I have urgent matters for the elders."
"Senior brother, what's the matter?"
"A joyous event has befallen the sect. I'll explain once everyone's gathered."
The old Taoists assembled.
Un Hu, striving for composure, made his declaration.
"Jeong Gwang has not only awakened the Lesser Pure Qi Art but achieved the Taecheong Realm."
"..."
No one responded.
How could such a thing be possible?
Un Hu, ever the True Man, understood.
"Rather than words, go see for yourselves."
The elders rushed over en masse.
They surrounded Jeong Gwang, scrutinizing him with sharp gazes.
Suddenly turned into a spectacle, Jeong Gwang wore a bemused expression as he circulated his qi...
"Muryangsubul!"
"Ahh! Tai Shang Lao Jun!"
"The Taecheong Realm for real!"
Chaos erupted.
"To master the Taecheong Qi Art alone! We must impart the Jade Heart Returning to One Art!"
"Didn't you hear Jeong Gwang? Teach him the Supreme Pure Unsurpassed Divine Art straight away!"
One voice opposed.
"Not everyone will approve."
Even noble, worldly-detached Taoists were human, prone to envy and jealousy.
The sect leader settled it.
"Jeong Gwang's case is exceptional. So be it."
The Supreme Pure Unsurpassed Divine Art, reserved for elders, was thus transmitted to Jeong Gwang.
The sect leader was right.
Initial grumblings faded like mice before a cat in the face of Jeong Gwang's astonishing achievements.
His overwhelming talent silenced all dissent.
It wasn't just inner arts.
Nearly every sect started novices with fist techniques, training the body through limb movements and grasping fundamentals.
Kunlun was no different. The basic Saro Fist taught advancing, retreating, attack, and defense in all directions.
"Awakening" meant embodying the concepts, and Jeong Gwang truly did.
Thud.
A small foot stamped the ground.
Whoosh.
A spindly fist pierced a single point in the air.
Swish. Swipe.
Short legs moved fluidly forward, back, left, right in stable footwork.
"..."
"..."
Un Hu and Heo Cheong could only watch, speechless.
Jeong Gwang had nothing to say either.
It was too easy.
But as silence dragged on, he finally spoke.
"Grand-master. Master. That's it."
The two merely nodded.
"What's next?"
Next? How could he speak of advancing when basics were so crucial?
Normally a reprimand, but perfection left no room.
And it didn't stop there.
His freakish talent applied to every art.
Fists, staffs, swords, footwork, lightness skills—nothing escaped his grasp of the profound secrets.
A vision flashed in Un Hu's mind of the near future.
This child will become a dragon.
Long ago, when the founding patriarch attained the Dao, a dragon was said to have soared over Kunlun Mountain.
To Un Hu, Jeong Gwang could be that dragon.
Time passed.
At thirteen, Jeong Gwang was no longer a cute child but a stunning youth.
All who visited Kunlun said the same.
A jade dragon dwells on Kunlun Mountain.
More climbers came. Even Qinghai's Lamaists trickled in.
"Kyaa! Jeong Gwang Taoist!"
"Try this! I made it with care!"
"It's cold, so I brought a sable fur coat! Please wear it!"
The pretty boy Taoist replied curtly, as always.
"Muryangsubul. Thank you."
Cheers echoed through Kunlun.
"Kyaaaa!"
The Taoists beamed at the sight.
Thanks to Jeong Gwang, Kunlun's fortunes were improving.
He grew daily—in body and martial prowess.
And so he realized.
Kunlun martial arts... were a bit off.
Peering into the true intent of inner methods and forms, they weren't meant to be deployed this way. More elegant and graceful—why had they become so altered?
As he pondered, he overheard his martial uncles.
"Senior brother, it's good the Demonic Cult is quiet, but it worries me. Doesn't it unsettle you more?"
"You too? Same here."
"Never know when they'll rampage again—chills me sometimes."
"With the True Heavenly Demon dead, shouldn't it stay quiet for a while?"
"True. Without that root of all evil, the world's finally livable."
"Sigh. Records of their invasion under him as young leader still make me shudder. Thinking of the fallen brings tears."
"Indeed."
The two Taoists teared up genuinely.
Jeong Gwang, watching, was baffled.
Root of all evil? Me?
His back had ached reining in his rampaging subordinates—what nonsense was this...
"Ah."
He recalled them whining for permission to raid Kunlun.
'Young leader! Those Kunlun long-nosed Taoists need a beating!'
'Why?'
'They've grown too bold unchecked.'
'They're no match anyway.'
'To uphold our cult's dignity, we should crush them.'
'Tell the old man.'
'The Lord said to ask you.'
His father's habit of dumping everything on him had irked him a bit.
Lazily, he'd given the okay.
But fearing they'd devour Kunlun whole and grow arrogant, he'd reined them in at a moderate level.
Yeah.
That should suffice.
Yet "root of all evil"?
"Seven invasions in a century! Bloodthirsty killers, aren't they?"
"Sigh. As the front line against the Demonic Cult, what choice did we have?"
Jeong Gwang scratched his head furiously.
Seven times? Those lunatics couldn't moderate?
Should've just beaten them all quiet.
Resistance would've meant more beatings.
Charge if you dare.
I'm the...
"They say the True Heavenly Demon, root of all evil, infused our arts with killing intent for nearly a century."
"Sigh. No helping it. Had to emphasize practicality and efficiency."
"Some call it unworthy of our Daoist path—truly regrettable."
"Hah. Those who've never clashed with Demonic Cult scum shouldn't speak."
Jeong Gwang switched to scratching his neck.
Even the arts' current state was his fault, apparently.
"Don't take it to heart. Kunlun is still Kunlun."
"Hahaha. Of course. Kunlun is vast and high, embracing all—what's to worry?"
The laughing martial uncle patted Jeong Gwang's head.
"That's why you came to Kunlun."
The other chimed in.
"Haha. We believe in you, Jeong Gwang, and your seniors."
Blessings poured.
"You'll be the hero slaying villains like the True Heavenly Demon."
"Haha. Who knows? You might even save the world."
Slay the True Heavenly Demon—himself—and save the world.
The man in question had zero such intent. He just wanted to head to the Central Plains and have fun.
That was the plan.
But the nagging unease won out. Jeong Gwang entered the scripture hall, scanning manuals' annotations.
His level allowed only basics, but the Taoists were right.
Over the past century, interpretations had subtly shifted.
Perfectly matching his time as Heavenly Demon Cult's young leader.
"This is maddening."
The thought slipped out aloud.
Kunlun felt suffocating.
Simplifying to crude efficiency didn't make it stronger in battle—what folly.
Letting it slide felt wrong; Kunlun had taken him in and raised him.
He was loved and expected by all.
The Jeong generation seniors, too junior to envy, saw themselves in his rapid growth and cheered him on.
Heo generation felt the same, treating the sect's youngest like a son, sparing no support.
Un generation nagged old-fashioned nonsense but doted on him fiercely.
Thinking of them brought a sigh.
Good-hearted but stubbornly obtuse Taoists.
How to show their arts were wrong?
One way: demonstrate with his body, as in his past life.
Overpower their crude forms with elegant, graceful ones.
"Wait."
Sparring seniors might earn accusations of arrogance or rudeness.
Martial uncles? Worse folly.
Disrespecting elders would cause uproar.
But Jeong Gwang wasn't one to fuss over such.
"Ah, whatever."
He'd start with the easiest prey.
"Eldest senior brother!"
Jeong U, the sturdy, diligent Jeong generation leader trusted by all.
"Oh! Little junior's here. What's up?"
"Spar with me, please."
"Haha! Sure! Let's see how much you've grown."
Moments later, Jeong U's jaw dropped.
Barely started, and he'd taken a strike to the gut.
Having let his guard down against the cute junior, using only forms without qi...
But Jeong Gwang was a thirteen-year-old with short limbs, barely able to execute full fist forms.
"Ha... hahaha."
Absurdity drew dry laughter.
"You rascal. Incredible."
"What?"
"But your forms are too flashy. Didn't the martial ancestors or grand-uncles scold you?"
"First time like this."
"Thought so. Impressive, but not right. You'll earn stern rebukes."
"I hit you, senior brother."
"...Well, yes."
"Then watch the 'proper' way."
Jeong Gwang switched from elegant flair to the sect's current crude, simplified forms.
"That's it! Exactly!"
Jeong U praised, blocking effortlessly.
"Eldest brother. You're blocking easily."
"Haha, of course... Huh?"
"Back to before."
Jeong U ate another strike in under ten exchanges.
"Wh-what is this..."
Jeong Gwang grinned at his stunned senior.
"See? Even flashy forms can still land solid hits."