The Five Desires and Seven Emotions
Professor Jo Woo-young could no longer stand by and watch. He stepped forward to restrain the boy. But Seong-il, having completely lost his mind, ignored every attempt to stop him and continued hammering his opponent with full power. In the end, Jo Woo-young charged straight at him and brought a sharp hand blade down on the back of Seong-il’s neck.
“Get some sleep.”
Thwack!
The professor’s precise strike slammed into Seong-il’s neck. He went limp like a puppet with its strings cut and collapsed unconscious.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
“Huh…? What is it, Elder Saekma?”
“That training method I mentioned last time, remember?”
“What training method was that again…”
Saekma glared at him with an expression that clearly said, Is this idiot serious? Seong-il flinched, then gave an awkward laugh.
“Ah~ come on, don’t look at me like that. I’ve learned so many things lately that my head’s overflowing. Just tell me straight instead of beating around the bush.”
“Ah… well, that’s true enough.”
Saekma cleared his throat with a loud hem and began his explanation.
“Not long ago, I told you about the O-yok Chil-jeong training method, yes?”
“Yes, I remember. It’s the method that uses human desire to refine the inner energy accumulated through yin-yang intercourse so it adapts properly to the body, right?”
“Correct. Do you not remember what I explained after that?”
Seong-il smiled brightly and began reciting what Saekma had taught him previously about the O-yok Chil-jeong method.
“You said that by artificially inducing the five desires and seven emotions, then controlling the body while generating inner energy, the emotions and the heavenly and earthly energy within the body resonate with it, efficiently reshaping it to suit the human form. You told me that if yin-yang energy is the raw gemstone, then the five desires and seven emotions are the tools that carve it into a jewel.”
“Exactly! Precisely!!”
Saekma nodded with an impressed expression, looking extremely satisfied. He kept nodding for a long while before finally opening his mouth again.
“Good. Since it seems Young Master has gained a fairly solid understanding of the O-yok Chil-jeong method, I shall now teach you the advanced training techniques and the necessary precautions, ya know?”
“Oh…!! Finally…!!”
“Oho ho!! You may look forward to it, my lord!!”
“Thank you, Elder Saekma!!”
Pleased by Seong-il’s polite attitude, Saekma smiled contentedly and nodded before beginning his lecture.
“Before I explain the O-yok Chil-jeong training method, do you know what O-yok Chil-jeong actually means?”
“Uh… roughly?”
“Roughly won’t do at all, my lord…”
“Ahem… joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, lust… things like that?”
“Correct! However, it would be best if you understood it more precisely, so I shall explain it properly.”
Saekma cleared his throat once more, then used the notebook and pen Seong-il had given him last time to jot something down as he continued.
Five Desires (O-yok)
Sleep Desire
Appetite
Lust
Desire for Fame
Desire for Wealth
“We focus primarily on Lust among the five desires for our training. Therefore, until you reach Great Success in Saekgong—roughly the eighth stage—you must keep as much distance as possible from the others, got it?”
“Huh? Why? Wouldn’t using all of them together be better?”
Saekma shook his head at Seong-il’s question.
“It won’t do. The Yin-Yang Intercourse Divine Art pours tremendous mental power into Lust among the five desires. If you forcibly awaken the other desires as well, you’ll almost certainly fall into qi deviation. You must be extremely cautious. Understood?”
“Huh? Y-yes… But I went around throwing money everywhere in the mental world.”
“Yet the reason you threw that money around was ultimately to obtain beautiful women, was it not?”
“Ah… that’s true.”
“That is precisely why you did not fall into qi deviation. Had you forgotten your true purpose and become corrupted by greed for wealth or power, you would have succumbed. I guarantee it.”
“Hmm…”
“Therefore, we must place our emphasis on the Seven Emotions rather than the Five Desires!”
“Why?”
Saekma smiled faintly at the question and began to answer.
“Because the Seven Emotions overlap with Lust, my lord.”
“Hmm…”
When Seong-il still looked confused, Saekma let out a small sigh and continued.
Seven Emotions (Chil-jeong)
Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Pleasure, Hatred, Desire, Love.
“All of these are emotions intimately connected with Lust!!”
“Ah…!”
“Is it starting to make sense? Exactly. Because these primal emotions are the fundamental components of lust, inducing them does not inflict serious damage on the practitioner.”
“So that’s how it works…”
Seong-il finally nodded at Saekma with an expression of genuine understanding. Then a new question occurred to him.
“But… I understand that those emotions can arise when I’m intimate with a woman. What about other situations? For example, what does feeling anger during battle or training have to do with practicing Saekgong…?”
Saekma beamed at the reasonable question.
“Ohh…! Our Young Master really is remarkably intelligent! From the perspective of Taoist thought, there would be no connection at all. Indeed…”
“...?”
Seeing Seong-il’s face that practically screamed What kind of nonsense is that?, Saekma smiled again and explained.
“The reason this seemingly contradictory and bizarre training method exists is because the founder of Saekgong and his successors injected concepts from other religions while trying to improve the Yin-Yang Intercourse Divine Art. That’s how the contradiction came about.”
“...Other religions?”
“Yes… I told you before that our Yin-Yang Intercourse Divine Art has its roots in Taoism, correct?”
“Yes…”
“The Taoist who first created the Yin-Yang Intercourse Divine Art using the ancient bedchamber arts was extremely satisfied with its tremendous inner energy amplification effect and made full use of it. Buoyed by that success, he declared himself the founding patriarch, secretly established a sect, and passed it down to later generations.”
“I see.”
“His disciple was also greatly satisfied with the power of Saekgong and continued training. That was when the problem arose.”
“...A problem?”
“Yes… It was good that the method condensed the great Dao of Heaven and Earth and applied it to humans, allowing the accumulation of pure energy in the body. The issue was that the energy was too pure for a human to handle.”
“...That could be a problem?”
“Of course! Have you ever seen fish living in a perfectly clean mountain stream, Young Master?”
“Uh…?”
“Exactly! Being too pure isn’t always good! We are beings tainted by the mundane world. Of course, once one’s cultivation deepens and the soul draws closer to Heaven and Earth and the great Dao, the pure inner energy will respond to our call. But how could a beginner possibly comprehend the great Dao? The founding patriarch had spent decades studying Taoist teachings before practicing Saekgong, so his realization was profound and he could handle the pure energy without issue. His disciple, however, could not.”
“So that’s what happened.”
“Later practitioners faced a serious dilemma! They succeeded in gathering enormous energy, but their own realization could not keep up, so they couldn’t use it!!!”
“Hmm…”
“In despair, the successor apparently cursed the Taoist sect and took refuge in Buddhism.”
“...And then?”
“Please listen carefully! While practicing Buddhist teachings, he came to study the O-yok Chil-jeong I mentioned earlier…”
Seong-il had grown completely focused, his expression serious as he listened quietly. Seeing this, Saekma grew even more animated. He licked his lips and continued.
“No way…?!”
“Yes. Exactly. His theory and experiments succeeded. When he induced the O-yok Chil-jeong and mixed it with the pure inner energy, the energy that had been close to nature was forcibly transformed to become far more suitable for humans…!”
“Ah…”
“Through this process, the pure heavenly energy—now properly adapted to the practitioner’s body—began to obey the practitioner’s will. The subsequent training proceeded smoothly as well.”
“Oh…! Then that person must have been the first to reach Great Success in Saekgong—”
“No. He died a miserable death.”
“...?”
Seong-il looked dumbfounded at the sudden bad ending. Saekma continued.
“He became too faithful to his desires. Using desire to assimilate inner energy was good… but he didn’t realize that becoming overly obsessed with desire would lead to qi deviation.”
“Ah…! Qi deviation!!”
“Yes… so you must be careful as well, Young Master.”
Seong-il frowned at those words.
“What exactly should I be careful about? It’s too vague…”
“It’s simple. Either don’t let yourself be devoured by emotion, or overcome your long-held emotions and achieve victory over them.”
“...Victory?”
“Yes. When emotions run wild, nine times out of ten it leads to qi deviation. However! If that emotion resolves your deep-seated resentment or fulfills your long-cherished wish, then you will have overcome and triumphed over the emotion. In that case, the Yin-Yang Intercourse Divine Art will take another step forward.”
“I see…!”
“Therefore, let emotion move you, but do not let it control you completely. And if you find yourself being swept away by it, stay true to your original purpose. Understood?”
“Yes!! Elder Saekma!!”
Saekma smiled gently and nodded at Seong-il’s obedient reply.
Seong-il, who had been recalling his past conversation with Saekma, felt a hot energy suddenly spread from his dantian throughout his entire body the moment the recollection ended.
It’s hot…!
The scorching energy rising from his dantian bubbled and boiled like lava, swelling up before racing madly through his blood vessels and ravaging every corner of his body.
Ugh…!
Seong-il wanted to writhe in agony and scream, but his body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. He couldn’t resist at all. He endured the long period of torment.
The rampaging energy circled his body dozens of times before gradually calming down, as if its excitement had subsided. It began to circulate gently, caressing his body.
Hoo…
A warm energy suddenly arrived. It embraced him, flowing through his entire body before returning to his dantian.
And then—
Crack!!!
Something pressed down on his dantian with tremendous force, condensing violently. The excruciating pain that followed was unbearable. Seong-il screamed and opened his eyes.
“Gaaahk!!”
A white ceiling greeted him. Seong-il shook off his dazed mind, sat up, and looked around.
“A hospital…?”
“To be precise, it’s the health center.”
“?!”
Seong-il turned toward the voice that had suddenly come from beside him. A middle-aged woman in a nurse’s uniform stood there.
“Uh…?”
“You’re awake?”
“Y-yes…”
“During the sparring session, you lost control and attacked your opponent. Professor Jo Woo-young subdued you, and your classmates brought you to the health center after you passed out.”
“I see…”
Seong-il quickly scanned the room, searching for someone.
“What are you doing…?”
“Ah… I was wondering if the guy I sparred with was here too…”
“Ah… you mean Go Yeong-tae?”
“Yes! That’s him!”
“That student was taken to a general hospital. His mouth and nose were completely shattered. It was beyond what we could handle at a health center.”
“!!!”
Seong-il’s eyes widened in shock. The nurse continued.
“Because of that, officers from the Security Bureau will probably come to see you soon.”
“...Why?”
“Why do you think? A support-class ability user turned a physical reinforcement ability user into pulp. The Psionic Security Bureau will likely come to confirm whether you’ve awakened a combat ability.”
“Ah… I thought the police were coming…”
Seong-il had beaten Go Yeong-tae so mercilessly that he’d worried he might be arrested for assault. Reading his concern, the nurse smiled bitterly.
“In any case, it was an accident that occurred during a ‘sparring’ session. The state forcibly requires students to take these classes, so the state bears some responsibility as well. And most importantly…”
“...Most importantly?”
“You’re a non-combat ability user. When a non-combat user defeats a combat user, they usually receive a pardon for about two-thirds of the offense…”
“...What about the remaining one-third?”