See to Know, Know to Learn
"Seeing comes first with anything. You must see to know, and know to learn."
"Yes!"
Ryeon, relieved for the moment, relaxed a little and quietly summoned her Divine Eye as she replied.
"First, I'll demonstrate the sword forms from beginning to end, so watch closely."
"Yes!"
Ryeon nodded vigorously. Danmok Cheon-gi swept his gaze over his granddaughter's face, his fingers tightening ever so slightly on his sword hilt.
'Whoa...!'
As the movements began from a man who had devoted his life to the Danmok clan's swordsmanship, the air around them shifted dramatically, rippling fiercely.
Ryeon breathed slowly, engraving Danmok Cheon-gi's motions into her eyes. Though he seemed not to use any neigong at all, with each form added, the surrounding air was drawn toward him in a whirl.
'Is this why it's called Falling Star Twelve Swords?'
The specific points where the air trembled along his sword path sparkled like the brightest stars in the Milky Way. Those gleams reached Ryeon's eyes.
When Danmok Cheon-gi finished all twelve forms, the straw dummy bore exactly thirty-six sword cuts, with just twelve footprints in front of it, sharp and clear.
Click.
Finally, Danmok Cheon-gi sheathed his sword, steadied his breath, and turned to Ryeon.
"Did you see it well?"
5 Stars Achieved (1▲)
You can now discern methods to improve flaws.
Her eyes burned hot, flashing brightly.
'Whenever I see something decent, my Divine Eye levels up with a sparkle. Is it because it's still early stages?'
Academic progress usually surges at first when you know nothing, but slows as you advance, right?
'Being able to improve flaws—what does that mean? So far, I've just pointed them out or removed them... Now I can figure out how to fix them?'
No matter how she thought about it, this was no ordinary ability. If a mere 5-star achievement did this much, what would it see at 12 stars?
Ryeon gathered her thoughts and nodded slowly.
"Then, try imitating it once."
"Pardon?"
Ryeon's eyes widened round. Was he serious?
She'd said she wanted to learn martial arts, but imitating a full set of twelve forms after seeing it just once? She wasn't even sure she'd memorized everything she'd seen.
"I'm not saying do it perfectly. I just want to see how far you get, so try up to where you can."
Ryeon fidgeted her lips anxiously, then took a deep breath, gripped her wooden sword, and stood before the straw dummy.
'At least this sword art isn't completely new to me...'
It was the clan's basic sword form. Though she'd never cultivated martial arts, she'd seen it plenty in her past life. And now, with Harmony on top of that, imitating what she'd seen might just be feasible.
As gold light like scattered stars sparkled in Ryeon's pupils, her wooden sword moved.
And when she'd imitated everything she'd seen, exactly twelve footprints marked the ground before the straw dummy.
Ryeon panted heavily, turning to Danmok Cheon-gi with a proud smile.
Danmok Cheon-gi raised one eyebrow, his fierce aura unmasked as he stared at her.
"How...?"
"Pardon?"
But before Danmok Cheon-gi could finish, Ryeon yelped "Ack!" and toppled over.
Her sudden exertion had triggered a cramp.
Danmok Cheon-gi swallowed his words and quickly called for people from outside.
Attendants rushed in from the pharmacy.
* * *
Danmok Cheon-gi paced the courtyard of Wolyeongjae, clenching and unclenching his trembling hands.
Chief Steward Gang-rip rarely saw the former family head so visibly shaken, but he understood. As steward of the clan for decades, Gang-rip prided himself on having witnessed more wonders than not—yet nothing like this.
Every martial artist develops their own sword path. Even blood brothers training the same art differ subtly—different heights, limb lengths, mindsets mean different sword tips.
But what he'd seen was identical.
If a shrunken, youthful Danmok Cheon-gi performed Falling Star Twelve Swords, would it look like that? The massive warrior's technique had emerged flawlessly from a tiny girl's hands, down to the smallest habits.
Even calling it imitation elevated it to mastery.
And a girl not yet ten had done it.
If she could perfectly mimic what she saw, understand and internalize the mimicry, learn what came next...
'Even heaven shows no mercy... how...'
Gang-rip swallowed a sigh. He knew the whispers: the eldest grandchild lived but wasn't truly alive, no different from a paper effigy. Unthinkable in the old days.
All because the clan's power had waned. Danmok Cheon-gi repelled Blood Valley decades ago but never recovered from his wounds; the rightful heir died; the grandchild lay comatose...
Tragedies piled like a curse.
And they hadn't fully escaped it. Ryeon couldn't accumulate neigong.
As Gang-rip bit his lip, Danmok Cheon-gi asked quietly, "How's the child?"
"The physician says the sudden exertion caused leg cramps, but it's settled now with no other issues. Quite the opposite—she's far healthier than before. But expect severe muscle pain tomorrow, so take care."
"She performed all twelve forms on command... ending in cramps is fortunate."
He'd expected her to trip or forget midway and stop after a few. He should have halted her at the right moment.
But who could have? A miracle named talent unfolded before him.
Stopping it would have felt like sacrilege.
Yet he regretted not doing so. Talent wouldn't flee, and even if it did, what meaning?
Still clinging to greed...
"...Chief Steward Gang. Have Ryeon's quarters moved to Wolyeongjae."
"Pardon?"
Gang-rip reflexively questioned the abrupt order, then bowed. "Yes, I'll see to it."
* * *
"Sis...!"
Danmok Bi clung to Ryeon's leg, gently patting her knee with tiny hands, face scrunched in worry.
He'd rushed over upon hearing of the cramps. Hwaryun, who'd come with him, stared wide-eyed.
"Sis... does it hurt a lot? You okay now?"
Ryeon couldn't help laughing at Bi's simultaneous questions.
"Bi-ya, Ryeun-ya. Have you memorized all of Thousand Character Classic?"
Bi sniffled evasively, and Hwaryun pulled him aside.
"Bi hasn't yet, it seems. What about you, Ryeun?"
"How do you cramp on the first day of martial arts?"
"My legs got too excited. But you didn't answer about Thousand Character Classic... Ack!"
Hwaryun, watching Ryeon stroke Bi's head, reached out lightly like Bi—then swiftly pinched a spot on her forearm.
"Sis!"
Bi startled and huddled by Hwaryun.
Not grabbing her arm, but pressing a precise point, Hwaryun frowned and pouted.
"Does it hurt? They say pressing here helps cramps."
"R-Really? Won't I ascend to heaven like this?"
At Ryeon's jest, Hwaryun glared, then pressed softer.
"Call the nanny to keep pressing."
"I'm really fine now."
"That's why I said do something else..."
Bi, missing Hwaryun's mutter, latched on to massage Ryeon too.
Ryeon gently stroked him, and Bi soon dozed off against her, exhausted from worry.
Ryeon laid her sleeping brother beside her, stroking him—then sneakily glared at Hwaryun and whispered.
"You gonna keep saying stuff like that?"
"Hmph."
"Do it around others, and you're in big trouble. Got it?"
Ryeon's urgent whisper burned with anxiety. She and Bi might get passes, but in other clans, an orphan servant studying martial arts? They'd snort and beat him on the spot for meddling.
Thinking Hwaryun might end up a servant in some powerful house and act this way made her stomach twist.