Chapter 98: Daoist Yin-Yang Manual (49)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: Daoist Yin-Yang Manual (49)
Every day was a cycle of training and fighting against the phantoms. The intense battles and training during the day left me exhausted, but giving Seo Ryeo-hwa a massage at night had somehow become part of my daily routine.
It seemed Seo Ryeo-hwa had also started looking forward to my massages. As soon as training ended, she would lie face down on the bed as if it were the most natural thing in the world, ready to accept my touch.
At first, it was just a simple massage to relieve her fatigue, but my hands gradually started to wander to more intimate areas. As my touch traveled from her shoulders down below her hips, her breathing grew sweeter.
'She's slowly ripening.'
Under the guise of a nightly massage, I explored her erogenous zones, slowly developing her body.
The moment my hands touched her shoulders, Seo Ryeo-hwa let out a long breath and relaxed.
"Haaah... If it weren't for your massages, I don't know how I would've dealt with this exhaustion."
"I'm sorry that this is all I can do for you."
My hands kneaded her firm thighs, gradually moving upward. Her body, now quite accustomed to my touch, moved naturally with my hands.
"Hngh..."
A sweet moan escaped Seo Ryeo-hwa's lips. Her body trembled faintly each time my hand brushed against her inner thigh.
'I think it's about time I went a little deeper.'
My hands moved from gently kneading her thighs naturally upward.
"Master, your leg muscles are very tense. I'll press a little harder."
"Hahh... Yes... Do as you see fit..."
Seo Ryeo-hwa's voice was soft and weak. She had already surrendered her body completely to my touch.
Her body trembled faintly as my hands slowly climbed higher up her thighs, but there was no sign of resistance.
As I kneaded the tops of her thighs, just below her buttocks, I deliberately stimulated the area between her legs, gauging her reaction.
"Hnngh..."
Seo Ryeo-hwa's breathing grew heavier. Her hips twitched slightly whenever my hand neared her pussy.
'So this is still okay with her?'
I continued the massage as if I noticed nothing, all the while continuing to stimulate the area near her pussy.
My hand movements grew bolder. As my fingers slipped beneath her clothes and stimulated her inner flesh, Seo Ryeo-hwa's hips bucked.
"Ah... Th-there..."
Her words trembled. She must have felt my touch brushing near her pussy now.
"Master, you can relax. If you're this tense, the fatigue won't go away."
She said nothing in reply, simply nodding her head.
My hand brushed against her pussy once more. This time, it was more deliberate, slow, and gentle.
"Mmm..."
Seo Ryeo-hwa quietly swallowed a moan, her body flinching.
'She's wet.'
I could feel the dampness of her underwear at my fingertips.
'It feels like she'd give in with just a little more stimulation...'
But now wasn't the time. If I moved too hastily, all my efforts so far could go up in smoke.
"Master, that's all for today."
"Ah, yes... Thank you. You worked hard today, too."
She replied in a somewhat awkward voice as she slowly sat up. Her sky-blue hair was disheveled, and her face was still flushed.
'Maybe I'll raise the intensity tomorrow.'
I thought to myself as I watched her back. With each nightly massage, her body was growing more accustomed to my touch, and her reactions were becoming far more sensitive.
*
The next day.
I began training in the Moon Shadow Sky Sword Dance with Seo Ryeo-hwa.
"You're following the flow perfectly now."
Seo Ryeo-hwa said with a slight smile.
"Thank you. It's all thanks to your teachings, Master."
After training, the battle with the phantom began as always.
'Hm... what is this...?'
Something was different from usual. My body felt light. My movements were more fluid, and I could feel a more powerful energy with every swing of my sword. I was slowly but surely gaining the upper hand in the fight against the phantom.
I parried the phantom's attacks and countered. A flow that began at the tip of my sword enveloped my entire body, connecting everything seamlessly. My strikes, which pierced through the phantom's defenses, grew faster and faster.
"Seo-yun, that's it! Maintain that flow!"
I heard Seo Ryeo-hwa's voice, but I wanted to focus on the moment.
Looking at the sword in my hand, I saw its blue aura shining with a distinctly stronger light than before. A blue energy, like captured moonlight, flowed along the blade, slowly pushing back the phantom's sword aura.
The sword felt lighter and lighter in my hand, and my movements became as natural as flowing water. I swung the sword instinctively, completely immersed in the battle.
Fighting the phantom in a trance-like state, I felt as if I had become one with my sword. It was no longer me swinging the sword; it was as if the sword was moving on its own, and I was merely following its flow.
The blue sword aura scattered like moonlight, cutting through the air. Each time it clashed with the phantom's sword, the flow of the Moon Shadow Sky Sword Dance became even clearer.
'So this is what it feels like.'
Within the naturally flowing sword art, which was like a dance, I fell deeper into a state of selflessness.
-Clang! Crash!
Each time the phantom's sword struck mine, a faint, moonlight-like aura scattered into the air. Even at the moment of impact, I wasn't pushing back with brute force like before, but deflecting it naturally, like a wave.
'I understand now.'
A sword wasn't merely a tool for striking down enemies. Only when the sword, myself, and my energy became one could I reach a true state of mastery. Whenever I tried to block by force, the flow of the sword would break, but now, it was in perfect harmony, like water meeting water.
The sword held a gentle aura, like moonlight. It was my aura, my flow.
'A sword isn't just a tool to be moved. It must become a part of me.'
My sword glowed faintly like the moon as it naturally found the phantom's openings. My will and energy moved as one with the blade.
In an instant, the phantom dissipated like smoke.
I stood still for a moment. I slowly gazed at the spot where the phantom had vanished, then shifted my eyes to the sword in my hand.
Compared to Seo Ryeo-hwa's, its light and energy were lacking, but it contained an intense aura and sharpness incomparable to any sword qi I had used before.
"Congratulations. You've taken a step forward."
Seo Ryeo-hwa said as she approached, her eyes filled with surprise.
"I think I'm finally beginning to understand the true meaning of the Moon Shadow Sky Sword Dance."
I said, looking down at my sword. It wasn't perfect yet, but I could feel a definite improvement.
"In the Moon Shadow Sky Sword Dance, the forms themselves are important, but understanding the flow of energy is even more so. You learned that today."
Seo Ryeo-hwa gave me a warm smile and patted my shoulder lightly.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, Master, I've grown one step stronger."
"Good, continue to strive for more. But now that you've defeated the phantom, what happens next?"
"I believe if you defeat your phantom, Master, the next path will open."
"In that case, I suppose I must defeat my phantom as well, so as not to be outdone by my student."
Seo Ryeo-hwa calmly drew her sword. An energy like cold moonlight flowed over the blade, chilling the surrounding air.
The mist swirled, and a phantom that looked exactly like Seo Ryeo-hwa appeared. The phantom faced her and raised its sword. Immediately, the two blades clashed, and the fight began.
A blue sword aura like moonlight danced as it cut through space. Each time Seo Ryeo-hwa's sword clashed with the phantom's, a bright blue light scattered in all directions. It was like watching starlight burst.
As if to prove she had been deliberately holding back all this time, this fight was completely different. Seo Ryeo-hwa had the absolute upper hand.
-Swoosh!
The gentle, moonlight-like aura of her sword qi turned as cold as frost. Her blade moved with speed and precision, striking at the phantom's openings. The phantom tried to evade her strikes, but Seo Ryeo-hwa's sword was already tracing a perfect trajectory.
'Seo Ryeo-hwa has gotten stronger, too.'
The phantom's body was pierced by her sword and dissipated like smoke. The fight was over in an instant. She had effortlessly dealt with the same phantom I had struggled so hard to defeat.
Seo Ryeo-hwa slowly sheathed her sword and looked at me.
"Master, that was incredible. You completely overwhelmed the phantom this time."
I said, genuinely impressed. She turned her sword in her hand and replied calmly.
"I was deliberately not winning for the sake of your training. I didn't know what would happen if I defeated the phantom."
I nodded at her answer.
"Thank you, Master. Thanks to you, I was able to grow stronger here."
Seo Ryeo-hwa smiled softly and said.
"Now that we've both passed the first trial, we should be able to move on to the next."
As soon as she finished speaking, the massive wall of the training ground began to move.
-Ruuuumble!
"Just in time, the door to the next stage has opened."
The massive wall was slowly parting, opening like a door.
-Ruuuumble!
Beyond the door, which opened with a heavy groan, lay a deep darkness. The darkness exuded a strange, oppressive aura, as if it would swallow whole anything that dared to enter.
"From now on, there's a chance we'll run into Wi Gwang."
Seo Ryeo-hwa nodded and walked with me toward the door.