Chapter 11: The Master’s Keepsake (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 11: The Master’s Keepsake (2)
Seok Myeong climbed the mountain peak in the early hours of the morning.
Mount Qingcheng was home to countless peaks; unless a peak served a significant purpose, it was rarely given a formal name.
Yeonbong.
Though it lacked an official title, people called it so, as it was a fine peak for cultivation.
In his hand, he held the wooden box he still hadn't managed to open.
"What on earth could this be?"
It had piqued Seok Myeong’s curiosity from the moment he found it. Had he been able to see inside, he wouldn't have been this flustered. But the box was firmly locked. No matter how many times he tried, it wouldn't budge. When he attempted to force it, the wood made an ominous creaking sound as if it were about to shatter. That only served to heighten his curiosity.
"Should I try using force?"
In truth, if he set his mind to it, there was no way he couldn't break open a simple box. However, he had refrained out of fear that he might accidentally destroy his master’s keepsake.
Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, Seok Myeong gripped both ends of the wooden box.
Crack.
He pulled with both hands, but nothing changed. It remained tightly shut, showing no sign of yielding.
"Why won't it open?"
Starting with ten percent of his internal energy, Seok Myeong increased it to thirty, then fifty percent. Before he knew it, he was pouring his full strength into the effort.
Yet, the wooden box remained unchanged. Even with enough force to crush the wood into splinters, it didn't even quiver.
"What is this thing?"
Setting the box down on the ground, Seok Myeong stared at it with a bewildered expression. It looked like an ordinary wooden box, but it simply would not open. When he shook it, he could tell there was something inside, but since it wouldn't budge, there was no way to confirm what.
"Sigh..."
Seok Myeong let out a long breath. His inability to open it was starting to spark a sense of stubbornness. He was also deeply curious. He wondered what could be so important that someone had sealed it with internal energy.
"The fact that Master poured so much energy into this must mean she didn't want just anyone to see it. And she must have made some arrangement so that I could open it."
His master hadn't mentioned anything specific before she passed away. Her death had been far too sudden. She had suffered from a chronic illness for about a year, but even then, she had never brought up this box.
"What kind of arrangement would Master have made?"
He had many fond memories of his master. Song Hye hadn't gone out of her way to teach him martial arts. She never ordered him to do anything, nor did she ever scold him. Whenever he asked a question, she always answered with a smile. If he asked about something she didn't know, they would ponder it together until they found an answer.
Occasionally, when she did teach him something, she would always say this before speaking:
"There is harmony in all things in this world. Even poison can become a miraculous medicine depending on the circumstances; in the end, harmony is what matters. Martial arts are the same, so you must always live in harmony."
He realized later that this was his master’s core teaching—to never lean too far to one side. She wanted him to view the world broadly and clearly, without being confined by anything. The reason she had taught him nothing but the Azure Wind Origin Heart Method was also out of a desire for him to overcome challenges on his own, rather than simply following a path laid out by someone else.
"Right. That was the teaching Master left for me."
Seok Myeong closed his eyes and began to circulate his inner qi. A righteous and noble energy began to flow slowly from his dantian. The Azure Wind Origin Heart Method didn't respond instantly to one's will, but once it began to move, the internal energy would find its own path without much effort.
The energy of the Azure Wind Origin Heart Method flowed through his meridians and into the wooden box through Seok Myeong’s hands.
Click-clack.
It happened then.
With a strange mechanical sound, the lid of the wooden box popped open. The box, which he had been holding absentmindedly, had finally reacted. Seok Myeong peered inside with startled eyes.
"What are these?"
Inside were three worn-out books and a single bracelet. Seok Myeong picked up the book on top. It was a manual titled Heaven Pillar Heart Method.
Seok Myeong.
'Master.'
The moment Seok Myeong turned the page, he knew. It was unmistakably his master’s handwriting.
By the time you open this, you will likely be in a difficult situation. If you have entered my room and taken this box, you must have opened it out of sheer desperation, clutching at straws.
You might not believe it, but I was certain you would eventually open this. Without me, those elders who envied me would surely not leave you in peace. Therefore, I am truly relieved that you are reading this.
Had anyone else tried to force it open, I designed it so that it would shatter into pieces. I didn't even inform the Sect Leader of Qingcheng about its existence, so you can imagine how important it is.
Seok Myeong’s expression, which had been one of pleasant surprise, gradually turned serious. Specifically, it was the part where she mentioned it was so precious that even the Sect Leader wasn't told.
The reason I didn't actively teach you martial arts all this time wasn't because you were lacking, but because I wanted you to look at the world with a broader heart. I also wanted you to think flexibly in many directions.
Only then did I think you might be able to identify the flaws in the martial arts I’ve left behind and forge them into something new. I am speaking of the Taiji Empty Heart, the Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art, and the Dark Heaven Bracelet located right beneath this book.
"What?"
Seok Myeong instinctively looked back into the box. To his shock, the books and the item his master mentioned were indeed there.
You probably don't know what the Taiji Empty Heart is. It is one of the five heart methods left by Zhang Sanfeng, who was once the greatest master under heaven. It is a supreme heart method that represents the Wudang Sect.
It is also classified as the ultimate martial art regarding mental strength, capable of preventing one from becoming a madman even in the midst of Qi Deviation. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be valued as such within Wudang. That is likely how it ended up in my hands.
"Ah..."
Seok Myeong composed himself and continued reading.
This Dark Heaven Bracelet is an artifact of the Quanzhen Sect, possessing the power of neutralization. It is one of the Seven Treasures of Quanzhen, the most profound and mysterious of them all. This, too, is undervalued in the Jianghu, but for you, it will be a treasure that provides more strength than anything else.
And finally, the Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art.
"A martial art of the Demonic Cult!"
Seok Myeong was horrified as he reached the final name. Although it wasn't the Demonic Energy Absorption Art he was familiar with, he could guess it was a demonic art just from the name "Energy Absorption Art."
No martial artist could be ignorant of this technique. When the Demonic Cult had risen in the past, most of the high-level masters who appeared then practiced an energy absorption art. It was an ultimate martial art with unprecedented efficacy in increasing internal energy. Aside from the fatal flaw of having to absorb the energy of others, it was a technique so formidable it was practically called invincible.
"Why is this here...?"
Seok Myeong tried his best to stay calm as he read further.
Yes, as you can see, it isn't much different from the Demonic Cult’s Demonic Energy Absorption Art. That is because our ancestors put in the effort to slightly modify the technique to make it easier for us to learn, changing the name from 'Demonic' to 'Heavenly Scripture.'
Even though the Demonic Energy Absorption Art belongs to the Demonic Cult, it is said to be the greatest martial study in history when it comes to internal energy absorption methods. It is a heart method that even the Demonic Cult considers sacred.
I know. You must be bewildered right now. Why Wudang martial arts, a Quanzhen artifact, and even a Demonic Cult technique are gathered here. Why they are in this box, and why they are before you. This is going to be a rather long story.
Song Hye had dedicated a long passage to explaining the reasons. And it was tied to the history of the Azure Cloud Pavilion.
Two hundred years ago.
Someone from the Azure Cloud Pavilion had accidentally discovered the Demonic Energy Absorption Art and brought it back. The members of the pavilion began to learn it. Perhaps due to its effects, ten of the Great Masters of the world emerged from their ranks a few decades later, and soon after, one of the Five Great Masters was born.
"So the era when the Azure Cloud Pavilion flourished was because of this Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art..."
Seok Myeong was stunned by the explanation. The period when Qingcheng prospered coincided perfectly with the time this martial art was practiced and its effects were manifested.
Song Hye’s writing went on to describe how they obtained temporary, immense power by harmonizing demonic qi with the Azure Origin Heart Method. However, she also mentioned a fatal weakness. To control the demonic qi without revealing it, they had to use their Innate Energy—the very source of their life.
Furthermore, as they used the demonic qi, they eventually reached a point where it became impossible to control. It stated that they had to fight against illness until the day they died due to the ever-growing demonic qi.
In the end, we had to find another way to control this demonic art. Countless members of the Azure Cloud Pavilion tried. Then, one day, one member proposed a unique solution.
The idea was to suppress the energy by practicing Wudang’s Taiji Empty Heart. The Taiji Empty Heart was a martial study created by Zhang Sanfeng, but it was the most undervalued heart method. It was so well-known that one could easily find vendors selling it in the marketplace.
However, that too failed. While the Taiji Empty Heart showed a mysterious ability to suppress the demonic nature, it couldn't control the demonic qi continuously. Thus, our eyes turned toward the heart methods of Qingcheng.
'If it's a heart method...'
Seok Myeong began to read with absolute focus.
Within the Azure Origin Heart Method, there was something coarse and powerful. People wondered if it was because of that—because the energy was so fierce—that they were swept away by the demonic qi and couldn't progress as desired.
So, they pondered if there was a heart method that could discard the sharp, fierce energy of the Azure Origin Heart Method and instead use a more profound and gentle energy. Like Wudang’s Taiji Art, Qingcheng’s heart method also needed a change—to be strong within and gentle without. Thus, the Azure Wind Origin Heart Method was born.
The Azure Wind Origin Heart Method was the very technique he had mastered.
Seok Myeong remembered hearing that the Azure Wind Origin Heart Method used the Azure Wind energy as its framework, but unlike the previous version, it was a heart method that was gentle within and strong without. In other words, it was a martial art of harmony.
However, Song Hye’s subsequent words were once again filled with despair.
This method also ended in failure. Surprisingly, it showed some effect in controlling the demonic qi, but it failed to refine the energy into pure qi. Moreover, as time passed, the demonic qi escaped control, eventually reaching an uncontrollable state.
In the end, my master, Taoist Il-yeong, said before he passed away that the Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art was a martial art that could never be controlled and that we should hand it over to the Martial Alliance. But I couldn't do it.
The countless challenges of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, and the numerous deaths... it was too bitter to give up like this. If only the demonic nature—if only we could suppress that—couldn't we rapidly develop our internal energy? I thought that if we could just solve this, our Qingcheng Sect would undoubtedly rise to the very top. And so, what I came up with was the Dark Heaven Bracelet.
"The Dark Heaven Bracelet."
Seok Myeong picked up the bracelet with the extraordinary pattern that had been in the box. This was likely what she was referring to.
The Dark Heaven Bracelet was easier to obtain than expected. Although it was a rare artifact, not many martial artists knew of its efficacy. This is because it doesn't increase internal energy or help in learning martial arts.
However, the Dark Heaven Bracelet possesses a tremendous power that people are unaware of. It is the power of neutralization. It changes the nature of energy so that it doesn't lean toward one side, and it is superior to anything else known to have similar effects.
Song Hye wrote extensively about the Dark Heaven Bracelet. She detailed its power of neutralization, the history of the Seven Treasures of Quanzhen, and her thoughts on how it could be used. At the end, she described the expectations she had held. Her will to achieve harmony using the Taiji Empty Heart and the Dark Heaven Bracelet reached Seok Myeong across the years.
The strengths of the Orthodox Faction and the strengths of the Demonic Cult. He could see his master’s effort to create a legendary, peerless technique.
When everything was ready, I hid deep in the mountains and began to circulate the Heavenly Scripture Energy Absorption Art. As the demonic qi entered, the Taiji energy protected my mind from being lost, and I governed that energy with the Azure Wind Origin Heart Method so it wouldn't run wild.
Furthermore, I used the Dark Heaven Bracelet to neutralize the energy into pure qi and attempted to control it, fighting to make the demonic qi entirely my own. For several days, I fought against unimaginable energies and was able to obtain a massive amount of internal energy, and eventually...
Seok Myeong took a deep breath. After reading the final sentence, he doubted his eyes once more.
I failed.