Chapter 123: Stream (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: Stream (1)
The Wudang Sect had won.
Their disciples and the warriors of the Heavenly Sword Hall returned safely to Mount Wudang. With the forces of the Sun-Exhaustion Demon King completely driven back, the sect war had effectively ended in a victory for Wudang.
The Heavenly Sword Hall's mission was also concluded, but they could not return home just yet. After surviving such a grueling battlefield, there wasn't a single person left unscathed. With no other choice, the Heavenly Sword Hall decided to stay with the Wudang Sect until they recovered.
Namgung Jun entered the room where Lee Se-ha was recuperating.
"Master. This is the healing medicine provided by the Wudang Sect."
"Again? The Wudang Sect is taking excellent care of us."
"It's because the Heavenly Sword Hall played a major role on the battlefield."
Accepting the medicine, Lee Se-ha smiled and shook her head.
"To be precise, you did everything, Jun."
From recovering the Wudang Sect's sacred relic, the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip, to his brilliant achievements on the battlefield, Namgung Jun's impact over the past few days had been immense. Regardless of age or status, it was only natural for the Wudang Sect to treat him as their benefactor. In fact, the Wudang disciples treated Namgung Jun with the utmost respect.
Lee Se-ha stared intently at him. This was her disciple, whose fate had been unknown after he fell from a cliff during a life-and-death battle with the Divine Thief. The decision to leave his fate in the hands of others while she marched to war had been an agonizing ordeal. Unable to search for him herself, a constant, gnawing fear that she might never see him again had tormented her. It was the first time she had lost her composure like that since being left all alone after her clan's extermination.
Yet, the disciple who returned to her alive had become a gallant supreme expert, armed with a new sword technique he had woven together while thinking of his master and companions.
Recalling the events that had passed in a blur, Lee Se-ha let out a soft sigh. On the battlefield, there had been no time for such leisurely reflection. Now that the situation had stabilized, the emotions she had forcibly suppressed came rushing back in a torrent.
Lee Se-ha bit her slightly trembling lip and forced a smile, feeling that if she didn't, she would be unable to control the overwhelming wave of guilt and emotion.
"You have finally achieved the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, Jun."
With a deeply moved expression, Lee Se-ha stroked Namgung Jun's head. Seeing his master's eyes glistening with unshed tears, the disciple quietly accepted her touch.
Feeling her soft, gentle hand, he spoke. "I could not have achieved it without you, Master."
"I am truly glad to have met you, Jun."
"I have always felt the same."
After confirming that Lee Se-ha had taken the medicine and begun her Qi circulation, Namgung Jun quietly stepped out of the room.
Outside, Heo Il was pacing back and forth restlessly. Namgung Jun had never seen him act this way, so he approached quietly.
"Senior Heo."
"Ah, Young Master Namgung."
The corners of Heo Il's mouth, which had brightened upon seeing him, drooped once more.
"I am sorry about what happened. I could do nothing as you fell from the cliff, Young Master Namgung. I resented my own body so much for collapsing from exhaustion."
"Please don't let it weigh on your mind. I heard that you personally climbed down the cliff to search for me, Senior Heo."
Of course, the other members of the Heavenly Sword Hall had also searched Mount Wudang thoroughly, but he had heard that Heo Il was the most desperate, climbing up and down the mountain paths. His distorted expression had been so full of grim determination that the Wudang disciples searching alongside him hadn't even dared to suggest taking a break.
"Whew. I was quite satisfied with my recent growth, but this has been a wake-up call. From now on, I will work even harder to be worthy of standing by your side, Young Master Namgung."
Since Heo Il was also heavily injured, Namgung Jun gently coaxed him to go inside and rest. Soon after, he ran into Daoist Master Sam-gyeong.
"Daoist Master Sam-gyeong. It has been a while. This is our first meeting since the Mount Song Gathering."
"Yes. The Sadun Plain is so vast that we never crossed paths. Still, I watched your exploits from afar, Young Master Namgung."
Namgung Jun looked at Sam-gyeong, who spoke with a bitter smile. The Daoist Master's gaze was averted, unable to meet his eyes.
‘Did something happen? He wasn't like this during the Mount Song Gathering.’
Even at a glance, Sam-gyeong's expression was complicated. Just as Namgung Jun was about to speak, Sam-gyeong spoke first.
"The Sect Master wishes to speak with you, Young Master Namgung."
"Let us go right away."
Putting aside his thoughts about Sam-gyeong for a moment, Namgung Jun headed toward the Supreme Harmony Palace with him.
Upon entering the Supreme Harmony Palace, he found Jeong Hong waiting alone. A private audience with the Wudang Sect Master had been arranged.
How many people in the entire Jianghu could claim to have a private audience with the Wudang Sect Master, a man who stood at its absolute pinnacle? If other martial artists had witnessed this scene, they would have been utterly astounded.
"How is your physical condition?"
"I have no issues, thanks to the healing medicine provided by the Wudang Sect."
"I am glad to hear that." Taking a sip of tea, Jeong Hong greeted him. "Our sect has incurred a great debt this time. Of course, we owe the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden and the Heavenly Sword Hall, but we owe an especially immense debt to you."
Namgung Jun immediately understood what Jeong Hong meant. He was referring to how Namgung Jun had turned the tides of battle, securing victory for the Wudang Sect. And, of course, stopping the Divine Thief and retrieving the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip.
"I will express my gratitude for your efforts on the battlefield when the Heavenly Sword Hall and the Black Cloud Wandering Maiden are gathered together. What I wish to ask about now is the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip."
Namgung Jun instantly realized why Jeong Hong had called for him privately.
"Yes. Please speak."
"I shall ask frankly. Have you learned our sect's Taiji Taoyuan Technique?"
"That is correct."
Lost in thought for a moment, Jeong Hong pulled the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip from his robes and showed him its contents.
"Take a look."
The rumors in the Jianghu that the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip contained Zhang Sanfeng's martial insights and hidden techniques were entirely baseless. The slip merely had numerous names written upon it—names Namgung Jun did not recognize at all.
"May I ask whose names are written here?"
Jeong Hong nodded. "The names on the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip are those of the Daoist temples and their leaders who participated in the founding of the Wudang Sect."
Namgung Jun now understood what the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip truly was. Originally, the Wudang Sect had not started as a single unified sect. Zhang Sanfeng had woven together seventy-two Daoist temples scattered across Mount Wudang to birth a single sect called Wudang. The Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip was essentially a joint covenant, containing the names of the temples that had agreed to its founding.
Even though it contained no martial insights, it was an object that had played a monumental role in the founding of the Wudang Sect, making it more than worthy of being their sacred relic.
"Outsiders would be disappointed if they saw the contents of the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip. However, there is a reason why it has been passed down through generations as the sacred relic of the Sect Master. Do you know why?"
"It must be because of the dense intent imbued within it."
"You have seen correctly." Jeong Hong looked down at the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip. "The slip serves as a key to enter one of the Wudang Sect's forbidden areas. And the forbidden area it grants access to is the Wind-Thunder Wall."
"Yes. The place where I regained consciousness after falling from the cliff was indeed the Wind-Thunder Wall." Namgung Jun answered without hiding a thing.
As if he had already expected this, Jeong Hong merely nodded quietly. "What did you see at the Wind-Thunder Wall?"
"Rather than saying I saw something, it would be more accurate to say I met someone."
Jeong Hong's eyes widened, and he muttered in a low voice, "As I thought."
Watching Jeong Hong's reaction, Namgung Jun asked, "There was a boy in the Wind-Thunder Valley. Was that boy Daoist Master Sanfeng?"
"So you saw him in the form of a boy."
"Does that mean...?"
"I met Daoist Master Sanfeng in his old age."
Lost for words, Namgung Jun asked, "Is Daoist Master Sanfeng still alive?"
"Of course not. Patriarch Sanfeng has certainly ascended to immortality. Though, according to our sect's records, even during his lifetime, he displayed a lifespan that far exceeded that of ordinary humans." Seeing Namgung Jun's doubtful expression, Jeong Hong added, "The boy you met in the Wind-Thunder Valley is merely a small fragment left behind by Patriarch Sanfeng."
"A fragment?"
"To be precise, it is Patriarch Sanfeng's Astral Qi that dwells within the Wind-Thunder Valley."
One who could raise their own unique star in the universe. In the Jianghu, such individuals were called peerless experts. The transcendent starlight of a peerless expert possessed the power to intervene in creation itself and manifest desired phenomena. This starlight, which could shake the very laws of nature, was known as Astral Qi.
It was the symbol of a peerless expert.
‘Astral Qi is a transcendent power that can defy the laws of all creation, depending on the user's level. But even so… is such a thing truly possible?’
Namgung Jun was momentarily dazed. He felt as though he had just glimpsed an endless martial path, separated by an unfathomable gap.
In his past life, the Sword Emperor had also achieved the Five Qis Converging at the Origin, allowing him to wield Astral Qi. However, the Sword Emperor's Astral Qi could not manifest miracles like those of Daoist Master Sanfeng. It was limited to feats like cutting the uncuttable or allowing a sword strike to reach the unreachable.
‘Is this the realm of one who aspires to be the greatest of all time?’
Daoist Master Sanfeng's miracle belonged to a realm that even the Sword Emperor of his past life dared not mimic. Lost in thought, Namgung Jun could not help but ask Jeong Hong, "Is such a thing possible for you as well, Sect Master?"
"It is impossible. No matter how high my realm becomes, I cannot even begin to grasp it. I have no idea what level of attainment is required to make it possible." Jeong Hong let out a bitter smile.
Despite having become a peerless expert who occupied one of the seats of the Five Great Masters under Heaven, he could not replicate Daoist Master Sanfeng's miracle in the slightest. Even for the Two Ultimates—the two peerless experts who stood a step ahead of the Five Great Masters and were closest to being the world's greatest—it would not be easy. It would only be possible for one who transcended being the greatest of a single era and drew close to being the greatest of all time.
"Now, I would like to hear your story."
Namgung Jun recounted everything that had transpired at the Wind-Thunder Wall without leaving out a single detail.
"I see." Lost in thought for a moment, Jeong Hong wore a gentle smile. "You learned the Taiji Taoyuan Technique directly from Patriarch Sanfeng. Since the Patriarch himself chose you, this is not a matter for a humble Daoist like me to dispute."
"What do you mean by that?"
Jeong Hong shared the story surrounding the Wind-Thunder Wall. Over the past century, twelve Wudang disciples had qualified to enter it, but Jeong Hong was the only one who had been able to meet Daoist Master Sanfeng. It was not a fortuitous encounter one could have simply by entering the Wind-Thunder Valley.
Realizing that entering the Wind-Thunder Wall did not guarantee a meeting with Daoist Master Sanfeng, Namgung Jun clearly felt the weight of the destiny Jeong Hong spoke of.
‘To think that I would meet Daoist Master Sanfeng under such circumstances.’
Chanting a Daoist invocation in a very low voice, Jeong Hong continued, "However, I would prefer if you kept the Taiji Taoyuan Technique you obtained from the Wind-Thunder Wall to yourself. Of course, the story would be different if your children or disciples were to join the Wudang Sect."
Jeong Hong's request was entirely natural. No sect would sit idly by and watch its martial arts leak to the outside. Even Shaolin, which placed great importance on Great Mercy, responded to such leaks with severe measures like severing the limbs' meridians and destroying the dantian. The magnanimity Wudang showed in letting this pass so leniently was truly remarkable.
"Thank you. I will keep your words in mind."
"Even though your name is not recorded in our sect's register, I shall consider you a disciple of the Wudang Sect. Feel free to ask for help whenever you face difficulties. Wudang's gates are always open to you."
"Thank you, Sect Master."
Upon exiting the Supreme Harmony Palace after his private audience, Namgung Jun saw Sam-gyeong waiting for him. It seemed he had waited for the conversation to end.
"Young Master Namgung. Let us go. I will escort you to your quarters."
Observing Sam-gyeong's expression, which looked as though it were shrouded in dark clouds, Namgung Jun made a suggestion.
"Daoist Master Sam-gyeong. Would you like to walk with me?"
"Pardon?"
"It has been a long time since the Mount Song Gathering, hasn't it? Let us have a little chat."
Namgung Jun turned and began walking in the complete opposite direction of his quarters.
"Let us go."
"Young Master Namgung?"
As Namgung Jun abruptly started walking, Sam-gyeong had no choice but to hastily follow.