Mastering the Thrust
Woo-gang stood there completely naked.
In front of him lay a pool where the water bubbled and boiled furiously.
It was the very pool where Siu had told him to immerse himself and cultivate the Hyeoncheon Yeolhwa Singong.
"Hoo…."
After hesitating for a long while, Woo-gang took a deep breath.
Then, squeezing his eyes shut, he began dipping his feet into the water first.
"Ugh!"
Woo-gang grimaced fiercely.
It was scorching—far too hot.
He had never felt anything this intense in his life.
This wasn't his first time, but the absurd temperature still refused to let him adapt.
A burning pain, like being seared by flames, started at his toes and spread through his entire body.
He felt like his whole body would suffer burns the moment he submerged, but Woo-gang gritted his teeth and plunged in anyway.
The water was shallow.
It came up to about his thighs, but when he sat cross-legged for training, it rose right up to his chin.
Woo-gang slowly lowered himself into the water and assumed the cross-legged position.
The searing heat made his entire body throb, and even breathing properly was a struggle.
He hurriedly recited the incantation and began circulating his internal energy.
The only way to endure the unbearable heat was through cultivating the Hyeoncheon Yeolhwa Singong.
Woo-gang slowly gathered his focus.
Bubble bubble bubble.
He tried to concentrate, but it was no easy task.
He had experienced this heat several times before, yet today it felt especially hard to focus.
The scorching sensation on his skin seemed fiercer than usual, and the bubbling sounds rang clearer in his ears.
Sweat—or was it the water?—beaded on his forehead, and his tightly shut eyelids trembled.
'Focus… focus….'
He repeated it to himself over and over while reciting the incantation, but even the familiar words kept breaking off midway.
At this rate, there was no way he could cultivate.
But Woo-gang didn't stand up.
He had to make it work somehow.
Abandoning the incantation, he turned his thoughts to something else.
The thrusting motion he had been drilling every day.
Stabbing at a single point wasn't easy.
No matter how many times he tried, he had never once hit the exact same spot consecutively.
Woo-gang judged the issue stemmed from flawed form.
Sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, he slowly visualized his movements.
He couldn't watch himself from afar, but the countless repetitions etched the motion vividly in his mind.
'Back foot, front foot. Then waist twist and shoulder. Is the shoulder lagging a bit? Is that why it's wobbling?'
As he began analyzing his form, his elusive focus suddenly returned.
Before he knew it, Woo-gang had forgotten the heat and immersed himself in the thrust.
'My head's shaking too, maybe. That's throwing off my gaze.'
Woo-gang replayed and dissected the thrusting motion over and over.
Not entirely sure, but having pinpointed some issues, he began pondering solutions.
'Shoulder needs to move a touch faster. If it's too late, it lags. The head shake… how do I fix that?'
For someone still mastering just the basic thrust, self-diagnosing and devising fixes wasn't simple.
That was when it happened.
'Hm?'
As he repeatedly visualized the thrust in his mind, he felt a stir in his lower dantian.
Woo-gang halted his thoughts and focused on the internal energy there.
But the lower dantian fell quiet again.
'Did I imagine it?'
Ignoring the energy, he refocused on the thrust.
Twitch.
The internal energy in his lower dantian reacted once more.
When he paid it attention, it stilled; when he visualized the thrust, it twitched.
Woo-gang kept drawing the thrusting motion in his head.
Sure enough, the internal energy responded.
Beyond a faint twitch, it now flowed from his lower dantian, circulating through his body.
'This is….'
Woo-gang sensed something in the energy's flow.
At first he hadn't noticed, but each visualization sent it along a fixed path.
From the lower dantian, it moved to his legs, up through his waist, and into his arms.
And this path matched exactly the route power traveled during a thrust.
Shhh! Boom!
The energy gathered at his fingertips and burst forth.
Splash!
Woo-gang's arm jerked, rising above the water before splashing back down.
'Use the internal energy… with the energy.'
Until now, his internal energy had never moved during thrusts.
He had never even considered using it, so it hadn't struck him as odd.
'Let's try it!'
Splash!
Woo-gang shot to his feet, sending a basin of water sloshing out of the pool.
Ignoring his lobster-red skin, he stepped out, grabbed his staff as if entranced, and stood naked in his usual thrusting spot.
Drip! Drip! Drip!
Water streamed from his body, soaking the floor.
Staring straight at his target point, Woo-gang gripped the staff.
His focus on that one spot was sharper than ever.
Nothing else entered his vision—only that single point.
With his target locked, he tensed his grip and thrust the staff forward powerfully.
Thud!
Woo-gang stomped down with a solid stance.
Power surged up from the floor through his legs.
Whoosh!
His waist twisted in perfect sync.
The rising force blended seamlessly with centrifugal momentum.
Shrieeek!
Finally, the combined power flowed through his shoulder into the thrusting staff.
And on top of that—
Whoosh!
He felt his internal energy whirl inside him.
Hot energy raced along his meridians, pushing his muscles and bones, driving his body forward.
A speed he had never felt before.
Plus the power loaded into his arms and legs.
Woo-gang surrendered to the flow and drove the staff with all his might.
Bang!
Crackle!
The spot he struck cracked slightly, sending fragments flying.
Woo-gang stared at the wall, frozen in his thrusting stance.
"Got it."
He knew it instinctively.
He'd need a few more tries to confirm consistent accuracy, but success was certain.
The proof coursed actively through his body: his internal energy.
The moment he focused on the thrust, it moved just like in the pool, amplifying his power.
Whether thanks to that or not, his form felt perfect, his vision steady—he kept the target in sight until impact.
With the energy boosting its force, punching a hole in the wall wouldn't take long.
Grip!
Woo-gang straightened his posture and clenched his fist.
A surge of accomplishment.
Pride in achieving it through his own efforts.
Overwhelmed by emotions he had never felt before, even Woo-gang's usually stoic face flushed with excitement.
"Yes!"
Unable to contain himself, he shouted briefly and hopped once.
Then he quickly schooled his expression and clamped his mouth shut.
Such open displays weren't his habit, leaving him flustered.
"Tsk tsk tsk! Making a fuss over one little step forward. Put some clothes on first. Can't stand watching you flail around."
Siu's remark, as he sat carving his staff, left Woo-gang sheepish. He hurriedly gathered and donned his clothes.
A faint smile played on Siu's lips as he carved on indifferently.
***
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Woo-gang's training gained momentum.
Thrusting relentlessly at the wall, he gradually grasped the art of wielding his internal energy.
At first, it didn't always go as planned.
But surrender wasn't in Woo-gang's nature.
Especially after tasting that first sweet success.
As his control grew smoother, his accuracy sharpened.
The strike zone narrowed bit by bit until, at some point, he hit the exact same spot every time.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Crackle!
After over two hours of nonstop thrusting, Woo-gang lowered his staff.
Then he frowned.
Once accustomed to the energy, one drawback emerged.
Agonizing pain wracking his entire body.
He hadn't noticed during training, but afterward, muscle soreness inevitably hit.
The energy boosted speed, power, and precision, but his body couldn't yet keep up.
His muscles and bones needed more growth and tempering.
Woo-gang stripped immediately and headed for the pool.
Now he plunged in without hesitation.
The heat felt less intense than at first, and cultivating the Hyeoncheon Yeolhwa Singong in the water always washed away the pain upon emerging.
Learning this new benefit, Woo-gang soaked more frequently than before.
In the pool, he didn't just cultivate.
He reviewed and refined everything he knew—energy control, thrusting—all in his mind.
'Soon, I can punch a hole just like that.'
Woo-gang murmured inwardly.
Poor accuracy had prevented proper holes before, but now it was different.
He could achieve his target size soon.
'One last circulation before I get out.'
Woo-gang took a deep breath and slowly circulated his energy.
The once-strange flow now felt utterly natural.
Reciting the incantation, he guided it casually through his body like a stroll.
But today felt subtly different.
The flow was unchanged, yet the paths felt vividly clear.
Like they were imprinting on him—from scalp to toes, every tiny detail registered precisely.
And along those paths, the hot water's heat seemed to seep into him.
'My body….'
His body felt different.
Lighter than usual, brimming with power.
Like nothing could stand in his way.
Flicker!
Finishing the circulation, Woo-gang opened his eyes.
His gaze shone clearer than ever.
Siu had stopped what he was doing, risen, and was watching intently.
Woo-gang slowly emerged from the water.
He dried off, then dressed.
The ritual felt solemn, like preparing for something momentous.
Fully clothed, staff in hand, he stood before the wall.
He closed his eyes briefly, savoring the lingering sensation enveloping his body.
"Hup! Hoo…."
Eyes snapping open, he fixed on the wall and thrust with full force.
"Hah!"
A ki-yell escaped unbidden.
And a mighty motion.
Siu watched every instant without blinking.
Kaboom!
Rumble rumble rumble!
The sound was unprecedented, and the entire cave shook violently.
His most powerful thrust since starting.
"Hoo…."
Woo-gang steadied his breath and posture.
But his staff was gone from his hand.
Instead, about a third of its length was embedded in the wall.
He had not only pierced the solid stone but driven the wooden staff into it.
Woo-gang looked to Siu, who nodded.
He had finally reached the goal Siu described.
Woo-gang clenched his fist.
But unlike before, he kept his emotions in check.
"What's next?"
Siu turned at the question.
His gaze fell on the second pool.
Deeper than the first, its waters churned more violently.
"If thrusting is the foundation of attack, then swinging is the basic technique that covers both offense and defense. Train your swings in that pool."
Woo-gang nodded at Siu's words.