Chapter 15: Dual Flow Exchange Technique (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: Dual Flow Exchange Technique (2)
Trickle, trickle.
The sound of tea pouring into a cup broke the silence.
The fragrant liquid flowed smoothly, releasing a gentle, calming aroma. The pleasant scent didn't just come from the teacup; the meticulously manicured pond, lush shrubs, and elegant penjing surrounding the pavilion drew the eye, creating an atmosphere of absolute serenity.
This was the Sect Leader’s office.
His workspace was not confined to the formal Taoist hall; it extended to the garden and the entire tranquil space surrounding it.
"You may leave," Song Jeong said once all five cups were filled.
The middle-aged man holding the teapot bowed politely and withdrew. Once he was gone, Song Jeong spoke again, his voice dropping an octave.
"Still nothing?"
His tone was stiff. Though he usually carried himself with a relaxed smile and an air of leisure, his eyes sharpened the moment he broached the main subject.
"We have searched the entirety of Mount Qingcheng, including the thirty-six peaks, the eight great caves, and the seventy-two small caves, but found nothing. We only discovered a few booklets that appeared to be mundane martial arts manuals," Song Mun reported.
As the one tasked with the search, Song Mun stepped forward to deliver the results personally.
"How disappointing. I suppose I held onto a lingering hope," Song Jeong said, clicking his tongue in regret.
Song Mun offered a quiet suggestion. "We still have plenty of time, so we can continue the search at a slower pace. Mount Qingcheng is vast; it is entirely possible we simply haven't stumbled upon it yet."
"Hmm..."
Song Jeong rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. If they had been searching for months, it was only logical to assume they had already covered every viable location.
"By the way, was the other matter resolved successfully?" Song Mun asked, changing the subject while glancing toward the two hermits sitting nearby.
As always, the two men remained silent, their faces hidden. Not only Song Mun, but even the formidable Song Hak felt a heavy sense of pressure whenever he was in their presence.
"He escaped."
Regret flickered in Song Jeong's eyes once more.
"We inflicted a fatal wound, but we couldn't capture him. Perhaps because the goal was to take him alive, everyone hesitated at the final moment. Or perhaps they were simply terrified of Jeok Ma-seong’s demonic nature. He had the look of a man ready to drag everyone to the grave with him."
"..."
"Our guard dropped for a single heartbeat during the standoff, and he suddenly vanished. There were many masters present, myself included, but no one saw him leave. We were careless. We fell into the trap of thinking he couldn't last long with such a wound. Afterward, we searched every suspicious location with the help of the Beggar Sect and the Hao Clan... but we found no trace of him."
"That is... unfortunate."
"Well, it is still a relief of sorts. A portion of his chest was completely gouged out. I am certain he will die before long, even if he didn't drop on the spot."
Song Mun spoke as if a weight had been lifted. "I have been deeply worried. So many have died or suffered at that man's hands. Now, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
Song Hak, who had been listening quietly, chimed in. "You haven't been able to rest for a long time, Sect Leader. I will have the disciples prepare bathwater for you."
Just as Song Hak was about to stand—
"Wait."
At Song Jeong's sharp exclamation, both Song Mun and Song Hak froze. They wondered why he had suddenly raised his voice.
In that instant, one of the old men sitting on the right vanished. He hadn't even made a move to stand or stretch his legs; he simply ceased to be in his seated position.
Shape Shift Position Change?
To think he could use Shape Shift Position Change with such ease!
Song Mun and Song Hak both gasped in inward admiration. To perfectly execute the Shape Shift Position Change meant that one had already reached the Realm of Entering the Divine.
Song Hak was even more shocked than Song Mun. Even he, who prided himself on being among the elite of Qingcheng in terms of martial prowess, could not perform such a flawless version of the technique.
As expected of the Silent Twin Elders.
They held the generation name 'Mu' (無), which was entirely separate from the standard 'Il,' 'Song,' and 'Seok' lineages. They were killing machines raised in a secret Taoist facility called the Azure Sky Pavilion—an organization that operated in the deepest shadows of Qingcheng.
These were men who lived entirely in the dark. They underwent training involving physical self-abuse to push their martial arts to the absolute limit. Most of them died without ever being known to the rest of the sect, existing solely for the honor and protection of Qingcheng.
Even Song Mun and Song Hak had only heard rumors; they had never met them in person until now.
"The reason I am being so cautious is that I have something urgent to tell you."
"Please, speak."
"We are listening," Song Mun and Song Hak replied.
Song Jeong paused for a moment. Then, the man named Mujeong, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"It appears Jeok Ma-seong has entered Mount Qingcheng."
"...!"
"...!"
Song Mun and Song Hak froze as if turned to stone. They were speechless at the bolt-from-the-blue news. Their faces were masks of incomprehension—how could such a Demonic Person have infiltrated the heart of their sect?
"When I looked at the sky, I saw dark clouds, the likes of which are rarely seen, heading toward Qingcheng. It was different from wicked energy—a qi unlike anything found in orthodox martial arts."
The old man explaining this, Mujeong, was blind. It was a disability he had gained by practicing a unique and obscure martial art within Qingcheng called the Red Willow Eye Art. In exchange for his sight, the technique granted him the ability to see the color of energy and read the heavenly flow. He could sense the identity of qi and its most subtle fluctuations.
If such a man said it, the possibility was a near certainty.
"Then what should we do?" Song Mun asked, his voice trembling with uncharacteristic agitation.
That was how formidable a man Jeok Ma-seong was.
Song Hak looked at Song Mun and said, "There is no need to be so tense. He has suffered a fatal wound. Someone of your level should be more than enough to suppress him in his current state."
Song Jeong nodded. "Song Hak is right. Jeok Ma-seong was struck by the Sword Force of Wudang’s Museong Dosa. Even if he is alive, he is likely broken. In that condition, the most he can do is hide."
"..."
"First, let us search the inner territories more thoroughly and keep an eye on the situation by patrolling key points. We cannot possibly scour the entirety of this vast mountain all at once."
"Yes."
"Understood!"
Song Mun and Song Hak answered in unison.
"I will say it again: this is not a matter that can be solved by rushing. If he is determined to hide, he will be difficult to find. We also cannot overlook the possibility that he is already dead. Search slowly and meticulously. For now, keep this fact between the two of you."
"Yes, I understand."
"I will do so."
Song Mun and Song Hak replied, though their eyes remained clouded. Their expressions were grim; the knowledge that such a terrifying monster was hiding within their own sect was a heavy burden to bear.
*
Seok Myeong’s expression was dead serious as he took the Qi Gathering Stance.
He controlled the energy teeming inside his body as much as possible and memorized the movements he was about to perform.
The Heaven and Earth Sword.
When Seok Myeong’s master, Song Hye, spoke of the Heaven and Earth Sword, she always used Wudang’s Taiji Sword and Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Sword as benchmarks. She wanted to teach Seok Myeong the greatness of the Heaven and Earth Sword by comparing it to the most renowned martial arts in the Central Plains.
As the name suggested, the Heaven and Earth Sword was a technique that contained the energy of the firmament and the soil. Just as Wudang sought to express the principles of all things through the Taiji, the Heaven and Earth Sword sought to simultaneously express everything that existed in heaven and earth through the human body.
In other words, it applied the principles of the heavens to the upper body and the earth to the lower body, weaving those cosmic truths into swordsmanship.
The terror of the Heaven and Earth Sword lay in its two Sword Shadows.
Upon reaching Three Stars of mastery, one could project two types of energy. At Five Stars, one could generate two Sword Shadows in any desired direction. When internal energy was channeled into the blade for a thrust, the Sword Shadows would fly out in two different directions.
Because it attacked the upper and lower body simultaneously, it was nearly impossible to block. Since a frontal parry was futile, an opponent had to dodge one and block the other, or dodge both entirely. While a supreme master might be able to block both Sword Shadows, that was a feat reserved for the truly exceptional.
This efficient and extraordinary swordsmanship was often cited as the technique that most clearly displayed the unyielding spirit of the Qingcheng Sect.
"Whew..."
Exhaling deeply, Seok Myeong called the Heaven and Earth Sword to mind. Originally consisting of twelve forms, the Taoists of the Azure Sky Pavilion had independently refined it into nine forms. This was done to eliminate unnecessary movements and exert maximum power within confined spaces.
"First Form, Sprinting Scratch Sword!"
Swoosh!
Seok Myeong, who had been standing still, suddenly lunged forward. Unlike the introductory forms of most sword styles, his movement was fierce, like a predator snatching its prey.
This was the nature of Qingcheng’s martial arts. Instead of showing courtesy and observing the opponent's sword to find a path, they pressured the opponent immediately to gauge their skill. If the opponent showed an opening, they would thrust without hesitation; if the opponent handled the pressure well, they would transition seamlessly into the second form.
Because of this aggressive nature, Qingcheng disciples usually used the more conciliatory Azure Cloud Red Mist Sword unless they were in a life-or-death situation. That style involved observing the opponent's sword and responding with momentum that focused more on feints and pressure than killing strikes.
Swish!
Sh-sh-sh-sh!
Seok Myeong was a blur of motion as he executed the Heaven and Earth Sword. His body movements appeared rugged, but the changes in his fingertips were incredibly fast and flamboyant, creating a sense of lethal beauty.
Whish, whish.
Just as the sword blade soared into the air, Seok Myeong suddenly stopped. He withdrew the momentum that had been flowing smoothly.
The sixth form that follows...
He had hit a wall. Because he had been stalled at the fifth form for so long, he hadn't perfectly mastered the sixth form: the Dividing Horizontal Sword.
Seok Myeong gripped his sword lightly and concentrated. As his master had said, the only way to master the sixth form was through ceaseless effort. He had no choice but to attempt it countless times and find the truth within the repetition.
Slide.
The moment his feet crossed and he moved forward, Seok Myeong’s arm extended fully, the blade becoming perfectly horizontal to the ground.
Boom!
A loud resonance occurred, but the aftereffect was smaller than expected. The power had diminished because the conflicting energies had canceled each other out.
"Ugh!"
Disappointed by his failure, Seok Myeong suddenly clutched his head. He found it difficult to keep his balance, as if someone were violently shaking his skull.
Vrrrrm—!
Is it the tremors again?
As he raised his internal energy, the Demonic Qi began to fluctuate. As his pure energy grew, the Demonic Qi refused to remain still, expressing its own primal rage. Fortunately, after a short while, it gradually stabilized through the function of the Dark Heaven Bracelet.
What will happen if I can't hold onto this energy?
His internal energy had grown tremendously in just a few months. For now, he was suppressing the Demonic Qi with the Dark Heaven Bracelet, but eventually, even this would become impossible. When that time came, he would have to make a choice.
Just like his late master.
Thump, thump.
Seok Myeong placed a hand over his heart. In the end, there was only one hope.
The Azure Wind Origin Heart Method.
The energy that grew stronger alongside the Demonic Qi. For now, it was soft and gentle, so it didn't reveal itself, but even a rough estimate suggested it was over half a Gapja. As expected, the energy gained through the Dual Flow Exchange Technique was equal in volume to the fierce Demonic Qi.
"Master, I will never back down."
Seok Myeong staggered toward one of the walls. Sitting down in a corner, he picked up a small stone and pressed it against the stone surface.
He applied pressure, scratching the wall with the stone.
Another stroke was added to the many '正' tally marks carved there, marking another day of survival.