Chapter 84
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Unconventional Lessons
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Cho Ak-ryang spoke to the bewildered Dan Ak-seon.
“They say seeing is believing, but experiencing it yourself is even better than just watching. Don't worry about failing. Just move with confidence. I'll point out what you're doing wrong.”
Encouraged by Cho Ak-ryang's words, Dan Ak-seon stood before a nearby tree.
Dan Ak-seon stood there blankly for a moment, recalling Cho Ak-ryang's movements.
Then, in an instant.
As a series of movements formed in his mind, he steadied his breath and took a step forward.
The true energy of the Dignified Fire Divine Arts, drawn to its peak, enveloped Dan Ak-seon's entire body.
*Boom!*
With a rather loud explosion, Dan Ak-seon staggered back a few steps.
The shock, starting from his wrist and traveling up to his shoulder, sent a tingling numbness through his entire body.
But the result was disappointing.
Though his palm stung, he had only managed to slightly dent the tree's bark.
When Dan Ak-seon looked back at Cho Ak-ryang, Cho Ak-ryang also gave a troubled smile.
His stance was plausible enough, but the process of materializing the rotational force—the very essence of the Silk-Reeling Force—at his fingertips seemed incredibly distant.
It was a total mess.
*'Well...'*
Cho Ak-ryang inwardly gave a bitter smile.
In truth, the Silk-Reeling Force was one of the core martial arts that formed the foundation of Cho Ak-ryang's skills.
If it could be copied after watching just a few times, Cho Ak-ryang himself would have been astonished.
He too had only managed to properly wield the Silk-Reeling Force after a considerable amount of time had passed since he began his training.
*'Even for a prodigy of his caliber, this is probably too much.'*
Reproaching himself for his impatience, Cho Ak-ryang demonstrated the Silk-Reeling Force once more.
This time, it was a boulder.
*Crack!*
Cho Ak-ryang had merely touched it with his index finger.
Yet, deep cracks originating from his finger spread across the entire boulder like a spiderweb.
And soon after, it crumbled to pieces.
Cho Ak-ryang spoke to the astonished Dan Ak-seon, whose eyes were wide with surprise.
“Have you ever heard the expression 'an arrow buried in stone'?”
“Yes. It means that if you focus your mind, you can produce an unbelievably great amount of power, right?”
Dan Ak-seon was also well aware of the anecdote from the 'Biographies of Li Guang' in the *Records of the Grand Historian*.
It was the story of a general named Li Guang who spotted a tiger, shot it with an arrow, and later discovered it was actually a large, tiger-shaped rock.
Cho Ak-ryang nodded.
“Just like in that story, a singularly focused power can exert immense force. Whether it's mental or physical.”
Not stopping there, Cho Ak-ryang moved slowly once more as he continued his explanation.
“If you connect a series of movements in this way, forming a single trajectory of power...”
*Swish.*
A light knife-hand strike.
A rather thick boulder split apart, revealing a clean cross-section.
“Various applications like this are also possible.”
“Wow...”
“Try it again.”
Dan Ak-seon focused his mind and moved like Cho Ak-ryang, extending his hand, swinging it, and snatching.
But no matter how many times he repeated it, the result was the same.
His form had improved, but the final outcome was still disappointing.
Han Seol-hwa, who had been watching, stepped forward out of frustration.
“The rotational force starting from your feet should be amplified as it passes through your ankles and knees. The power should be further augmented at your waist and shoulders, but each part is moving separately. Instead, the forces are conflicting with each other, canceling out the power.”
“Then what should I do?”
“You need to maintain a consistent flow in the direction of the force.”
Dan Ak-seon was lost in thought.
An ambiguous feeling, as if he could almost grasp it but not quite, tickled his mind.
*'Come to think of it...'*
He had a similar experience long ago.
It was when he was learning acupuncture.
Although he had memorized the locations of all the pressure points, their exact positions varied subtly from person to person.
Because of this, finding the precise effective acupoint was not as easy as he thought.
Still, he didn't give up and persisted relentlessly.
Then, in an instant.
He had a strange experience.
He began to feel a sensation through the needle.
It felt as if a nerve extending from his finger was connected to the needle.
In that moment, as if by magic, the needle found the exact acupoint on its own.
So he repeated it again and again until that sensation was ingrained in his body.
Recalling that time, Dan Ak-seon moved his body once more.
As time passed, the metallic taste of exhaustion began to fill his mouth.
The sweat that had been pouring down like rain had evaporated, leaving only a dry, salty residue.
Nevertheless, Dan Ak-seon did not give up and devoted himself to his training.
In between, Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa did not spare their corrections and advice.
However, there was no dramatic, noticeable change.
When about an hour had passed.
Dan Ak-seon's movements, his stamina depleted, became noticeably slower.
Cho Ak-ryang, judging that he was reaching his limit, gave a bitter smile.
“Let's take a break.”
At this point, he had to admit it.
Even for a natural-born genius, some things were simply impossible.
“Pant, pant. I'm fine. I think I'm starting to get a feel for it.”
But Dan Ak-seon shook his head, completely out of breath.
Cho Ak-ryang frowned at Dan Ak-seon's stubbornness.
“Anything more than this isn't training, it's abuse. Hasn't your concentration already waned? Your current movements are nothing but a meaningless dance.”
Just then, Beom Gye-wi suddenly interjected.
“Why? He looks fine to me.”
“What?”
Beom Gye-wi, who was munching on beef jerky he'd bought instead of dry rations, said to Dan Ak-seon.
“That's not it, Physician Dan. Brother Cho moved with a 'charararak!' But you're moving with a 'chachachak.'”
Cho Ak-ryang wondered what he had just heard.
He glanced at Han Seol-hwa and saw she was also full of disapproval.
In this situation, how could such vague, clumsy advice possibly be of any help?
What was even more dumbfounding was that it came from the mouth of Beom Gye-wi, a so-called master.
But conversely, Dan Ak-seon's eyes sparkled at Beom Gye-wi's words.
“Ah! You're right. The key was 'charararak'!”
Cho Ak-ryang sighed.
“There's no need to be impatient. It took even me a considerable amount of time. If you practice steadily, you'll be able to make it your own someday.”
Seeing Dan Ak-seon get back into his stance, Cho Ak-ryang gave a troubled smile.
“'Charararak,' he says. There's no way that could possibly work...”
Cho Ak-ryang couldn't finish his sentence.
The moment Dan Ak-seon's hand, extended after a series of movements, touched the giant tree.
*Thwump.*
A distinctly different sound from before rang out.
Following that, the giant tree shook from its roots, and the piles of snow on its branches came cascading down.
“...!”
Cho Ak-ryang's eyes flew open.
The power was nothing compared to his own, but it was unmistakably the Silk-Reeling Force.
“How on earth?”
Cho Ak-ryang turned his head towards Han Seol-hwa.
She, too, was blinking with a surprised and disbelieving expression.
Just then, Dan Ak-seon asked Beom Gye-wi.
“Like this?”
“That's it! Well done, Physician Dan.”
Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly at Beom Gye-wi's praise.
“I was so focused on connecting the movements and the speed that I failed to completely entrust my body to the flow.”
And at Dan Ak-seon's next words, Cho Ak-ryang almost fell into a state of inner turmoil.
“Mister Beom, you're a really good teacher. Your advice is so easy to understand.”
“Hahahaha! I am pretty amazing, aren't I? Unlike certain someones.”
As he said this, Beom Gye-wi shot a triumphant smile at Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa.
Cho Ak-ryang was so dumbfounded and speechless he couldn't form a reply.
“He understood that?”
Han Seol-hwa was the same.
The two of them shot Beom Gye-wi a look of intense disbelief.
They firmly believed that he had just gotten lucky, happening to say something at the exact moment Dan Ak-seon had his breakthrough.
Otherwise, their pride wouldn't be able to accept it.
After that, Dan Ak-seon continued to practice the Silk-Reeling Force.
Needless to say, his movements improved noticeably.
Once he grasped the knack, he was making it his own at a rapid pace.
At first, he only succeeded two or three times out of ten attempts, but after about an hour, he was succeeding more than half the time.
Just then, Cho Ak-ryang approached Dan Ak-seon.
“Let's rest now.”
“Already?”
Cho Ak-ryang spoke firmly to the disappointed Dan Ak-seon.
“You're a physician. Isn't it absurd for you not to take care of your own body?”
“Ah!”
Belatedly realizing that his stamina had already surpassed its limit, Dan Ak-seon gave an awkward smile.
“Phew.”
Dan Ak-seon collapsed, slumping to the ground right where he stood.
Once he withdrew his internal energy, his entire body felt as heavy as lead, and he couldn't move a muscle.
Cho Ak-ryang, once again amazed by Dan Ak-seon's tenacity, beckoned to Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa.
The two approached and, circulating the Dignified Fire Divine Arts, began to tap, knead, and sweep down various parts of Dan Ak-seon's body.
Through acupressure, they cleansed the accumulated impurities within him and replenished his depleted true energy.
Dan Ak-seon also closed his eyes and circulated the Dignified Fire Divine Arts.
Watching Dan Ak-seon accept their energy without any resistance, Cho Ak-ryang suddenly had a realization.
*'Come to think of it?'*
He had been with him constantly, so he was late to notice, but looking now, Dan Ak-seon was clearly different from when he had left Divine Demon Valley.
The auspicious energy that used to fill the surroundings whenever he circulated the Dignified Fire Divine Arts had become much fainter than before.
Furthermore, the range it encompassed had shrunk to a radius of merely one foot.
This was proof that he was absorbing true energy much more efficiently.
The speed at which he absorbed it and refined it into his own internal energy must have also increased.
About an hour passed like that.
The auspicious energy that had been shimmering around Dan Ak-seon was rapidly sucked into the pores of his entire body.
As Dan Ak-seon opened his eyes, Cho Ak-ryang pointed to a wide, open area.
“Now, let's exchange a few blows.”
At those words, Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.
Facing each other, the spar began with Dan Ak-seon's first strike.
A flurry of hand-shadows filled the space between the two, and a continuous series of explosions tore through the air.
Cho Ak-ryang was inwardly impressed by Dan Ak-seon's day-by-day improvement.
There was certainly a joy in teaching him.
The way he absorbed everything he was taught and made it his own, like a dry sponge soaking up water, revealed a natural talent that was almost frightening.
On the other hand, as the spar continued, his weaknesses also became more apparent.
“Let's stop here for now. Catch your breath.”
As Cho Ak-ryang withdrew his hands and stepped back, Dan Ak-seon heaved ragged breaths.
Even though his entire body was drenched in sweat, Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.
The spar had lasted just a little over seven minutes, but he had poured everything he had into it.
“Good work, Physician Dan! Your skills are improving day by day.”
At Beom Gye-wi's praise, Han Seol-hwa also nodded silently.
But Cho Ak-ryang had a somewhat dissatisfied expression and clicked his tongue.
“It's true that your overall martial prowess has increased, but there are still many problems. Your reactions and movements are too honest. Your responses to feints and variations are also too straightforward.”
His honest personality was showing through.
“Trusting your sparring partner too much is also a problem.”
Even in a spar, accidents could happen, but he showed no concern for this.
The martial skills of the three were too exceptional for an accident to occur.
“Then you just have to spar with him in a way that addresses his weaknesses.”
“That's not something I can do, is it?”
“Is there anything the great Blood Hand Honored One can't do?”
Cho Ak-ryang frowned.
“Then you do it.”
Beom Gye-wi shook his head.
“How could I harbor killing intent against Physician Dan? And I don't want to resort to dirty tricks either.”
Cho Ak-ryang turned his head towards Han Seol-hwa.
But Han Seol-hwa was already staring at a distant mountain.
Cho Ak-ryang let out a soft sigh.
“I should have brought him along...”
At times like this, he couldn't help but regret leaving Neung So-mil behind in Divine Demon Valley.
“Then what should we do? In any case, he'll need a suitable opponent to develop his practical combat sense...”
In the end, the key was experience.
The problem was that finding a sparring partner who met the criteria was exceptionally difficult.
Someone who wouldn't hesitate to use dirty tricks to win and was skilled at improvisation.
If they also possessed a decent level of martial skill, it would be the icing on the cake.
It was then.
“Ah!”
Beom Gye-wi exclaimed as if he had remembered something.
“We're in Shaanxi.”
“So?”
“Aren't there tons of secular branches of the Huashan and Zhongnan Sects all over the place? We could just raid a nearby escort agency or martial arts hall and grab a suitable guy...”
“Physician Dan would love that.”
At Cho Ak-ryang's rebuke, Beom Gye-wi grimaced.
As the frustrating silence continued, Cho Ak-ryang thought of someone.
“That's right! There's him!”