Are You Treating Me Like a Dog Now?
Seeing the blood streaming from her chest, Yeop Hyeon panicked and shouted.
"Didn't you say this was training? Why are you actually attacking me? And shouldn't you teach me sword forms or sword qi first?"
The Heavenly Maiden replied in a cold voice.
"Foolish novice. For a sword cultivator, the finest technique is only truly mastered when it slays the foe! The shadow before you is both your enemy and your master.
You will learn basic swordsmanship from it. Never forget that wounds are the greatest teachers. Sword qi, sword forms—think of those after you've built your foundation!"
After a moment of silence, Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"Understood."
With those words, he kicked off the ground and leaped forward.
As time passed, wounds accumulated across Yeop Hyeon's body. Yet with each one, he grew bolder.
Yeop Hyeon had never once feared battle. As the crown prince of the Ye family, he had fought countless times. For the clan's interests, he had staked his life without hesitation. Blocking the Great Elder's strike at the Unceasing Realm had been no fluke.
His martial prowess was forged not in training, but in the deaths of his foes.
Yeop Hyeon gradually absorbed the shadow's sword forms. Each sword wound taught him why he'd been hit and how to defend against it.
Three days passed like this. Yeop Hyeon's wounds began to dwindle.
He still couldn't unleash sword forms himself, but he now knew when to thrust, when to retract, how to block, and how to evade. Of course, this knowledge came at the cost of rivers of blood.
Some might call such learning cruel, but it was undeniably the most effective.
Another two days slipped by.
Yeop Hyeon began counterattacking. The shadow's defense was no joke—it was a cut above his current level.
Not a single drop of water could leak through; no matter which direction Yeop Hyeon swung, the shadow parried perfectly. In turn, Yeop Hyeon slowly mastered its defensive skills.
Yeop Hyeon threw himself into training without tiring. Over time, his strength, speed, and reactions soared beyond compare. Realizing his own growth, he trained even more ferociously.
At the same time, in the Ye family mansion. Elder Yeop Go burst into the Great Elder's room without knocking.
"Great Elder, I've uncovered what happened at Nanshan! The assassins we sent died by Yeop Hyeon's hand, but he suffered a devastating wound—his dantian was destroyed!"
The Great Elder widened his eyes.
"Certain?"
Yeop Go nodded.
"Absolutely. I heard it straight from a survivor of the Li family. He saw a blade plunged right into Yeop Hyeon's dantian with his own eyes."
"Even heaven has abandoned him. Haha!"
The Great Elder's booming laughter filled the room.
His dantian destroyed!
Without a dantian, one was branded a mere martial brute. Only with a dantian could one become a true martial artist.
Yeop Hyeon, dantian shattered, was little more than a cripple. He might retain some physical might, but without inner energy, he was no warrior.
The Great Elder stopped laughing and issued a chilling command.
"Yeop Go, gather men. We end this threat once and for all."
"Impossible!"
Yeop Go shook his head.
"Great Elder, Yeop Hyeon has racked up countless merits until now. Killing him outright would breed resentment among many.
Besides, he's set to duel Yeop Rang on the Life-Death Platform. Removing him now would arouse suspicion."
The Great Elder furrowed his brow.
"Then what do you propose?"
Yeop Go flashed a sly grin.
"Leave it to Yeop Rang. If he slays Yeop Hyeon on the platform, even the clan leader couldn't object. And it would spread Yeop Rang's name across all of Qingcheng—two birds with one stone."
The Great Elder nodded.
"True enough. A dantianless cripple poses no threat anyway."
His eyes gleamed coldly.
"Still, I won't let him live comfortably. From today, cut off all funds and food for Yeop Hyeon and his sister. Strip him of the privileges and rights he enjoyed as crown prince. He can't set foot in the Martial Technique Pavilion, nor leave the Ye mansion at will.
Stop all medicines for his sister, Yeop Ryeong too. Do you know how much we've wasted on that child? If she weren't useful, we'd have cast her out long ago!"
Yeop Go smiled faintly.
"Rest easy. With his dantian gone, Yeop Hyeon is nothing but a cripple."
The Great Elder nodded.
"Yeop Rang has only recently awakened, so he'll need resources. Give him whatever he asks without stint. Open the Martial Technique Pavilion—let him peruse anything he desires."
"As you command. Oh, and Yeop Ryeong's of age now. Why not marry her off to one of the underlings while we're at it?"
The Great Elder closed his eyes, as if annoyed.
"Handle it yourself."
Back in the Gyeok Ok Tower.
Yeop Hyeon lay sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath. His body was covered in sword wounds. After reaching the Qi Transformation Realm, he could heal them with spirit energy—but the pain lingered.
The gains from these past days were priceless.
Yeop Hyeon had already been among Qingcheng's top young warriors. Now, his realm had advanced another step.
"How does it feel?"
Yeop Hyeon's lips curved up to his ears at the Heavenly Maiden's voice.
"Electrifying."
"You've only just taken your first steps. The sword path ahead grows ever more treacherous. And with your dantian once shattered, it will be no easy journey."
Yeop Hyeon slowly closed his eyes.
"Hardship doesn't scare me..."
From childhood, he and his sister had leaned on each other through endless trials. Rising to crown prince without backing had demanded staking his life at every turn. Now, entering the Control Qi Realm offered hope to cure his sister's illness—he'd welcome even greater pain with thanks.
After a brief rest, Yeop Hyeon exited the Gyeok Ok Tower.
Having fasted through training, it was time to eat.
When Yeop Hyeon returned to his room, Yeop Ryeong entered with her head bowed. In her delicate hands were two white steamed buns.
"Brother, done training? You must be starving. Eat these."
"Ryeong, lift your head."
As Yeop Ryeong slowly raised her face, Yeop Hyeon's expression darkened. A red handprint blazed on her cheek.
"What happened!?"
Yeop Hyeon's eyes turned icy in an instant.
"Nothing... I just bumped into something..."
Yeop Hyeon pulled Yeop Ryeong close, locking eyes with her.
"Tell me. Just say who, and brother will handle it."
Tears welled up unbidden; Yeop Ryeong wiped them hastily.
"Breakfast was late, so I went to the kitchen myself. But Kitchen Supervisor Wang Zongguan tried giving me dog food. I argued, and he said you're no longer crown prince—only scraps for dogs. If I wanted real food, I had to spend the night with him... I cursed him out, and then..."
Chill intent settled on Yeop Hyeon's face. His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms.
"Dethroned, and now they treat me like a dog!"
Grabbing Yeop Ryeong's hand, Yeop Hyeon stormed toward the kitchen.
Along the way, he felt fingers pointing at them.
These were people who had groveled before him as crown prince.
Since his fall, the Ye family's attitude had flipped. They avoided him, pretending not to see.
It was inevitable—no one wanted to irk the new crown prince, Yeop Rang.
Yeop Hyeon paid it no mind. Shifting loyalties with power was human nature.
Clutching Yeop Hyeon's hand tightly, Yeop Ryeong spoke in a trembling voice.
"Brother! Let's just go back, okay? It doesn't even hurt. And... he's backed by an elder. He'll come after you."
Yeop Hyeon halted, gazing at Yeop Ryeong.
"Elder or crown prince, whoever touches you—I won't let them live!"
With that, he quickened his pace.
They reached the kitchen just as a fat man emerged.
Wang Zongguan, the culprit.
Spotting Yeop Hyeon, he paused, then plastered a smile on his plump face.
"Well, if it isn't the crown prince—what wind blew you, er, former crown prince to the kitchen? Or should I say brother-in-law now? You must've heard the elders promised your sister to me. So, shall we..."
In a flash, Yeop Hyeon appeared before him. Before Wang Zongguan could react, Yeop Hyeon's instep slammed into his groin.
"Guh... guh... ack..."
Wang Zongguan's eyes rolled back, face contorted in agony.
Onlookers stared, dumbfounded.
Ignoring the gazes, Yeop Hyeon snarled viciously.
"From childhood... to now... my sister, whom even I never struck... you dared lay hands on her?"
Yeop Hyeon backhanded Wang Zongguan across the face.
Crack!
The slap thundered louder than lightning, shaking the hall.
Pfbt!
Wang Zongguan spat a clot of blood and teeth. Clutching his groin, he writhed on the ground.
His pig-like squeals filled the kitchen.
As Yeop Hyeon raised his hand again, a bellow erupted behind him.
"Yeop Hyeon, you insolent cur!"
Turning, he saw Yeop Go had arrived, flanked by Ye guards.
Yeop Hyeon glanced at him, then stomped on Wang Zongguan's wailing face. Turning to pale-faced Yeop Ryeong, who stared wide-eyed, he asked.
"Remember which hand he hit you with?"
Yeop Ryeong stammered through tremors.
"R-right... hand... Brother, that's enough..."
Before she finished, Yeop Hyeon drew a dagger from his waist and plunged it into Wang Zongguan's right shoulder.
"Aaaargh!"
The arm severed clean; blood sprayed to the ceiling.
The hall fell deathly silent.
Mouths gaped. Yeop Go stared at the detached arm in disbelief.
Wang Zongguan shrieked, then fainted.
Yeop Ryeong clamped her small hands over her mouth.
Moments later, Yeop Go recovered, roaring in fury.
"Yeop Hyeon, you... you... insolent wretch! How dare you maim a man before me?!"