Chasing the Moon's Light
I realized what the Poison King was up to.
Perhaps it would have been better to go back and confront him, but when I checked, the lights in his quarters were already out.
What a sly old man.
It was too early for him to be asleep. This was purely a message.
He's telling me not to come back.
Don't bother me tonight. That was what it meant.
Or maybe he really was sleepy. He did look exhausted throughout the banquet. It was possible he had actually gone to bed.
But knowing him, I highly doubt it.
Considering the Poison King's personality, that couldn't be the real reason.
Tsk.
Even if it wasn't the case, barging in now would be awkward. I had to head back for now.
With that thought, I turned around.
Since it was late, I should have gone to my quarters.
Instead, my feet led me to the training ground.
I still had a sword to swing.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sword sliced through the air with violent speed.
No lanterns were lit, leaving the area shrouded in darkness, but the shadows were no obstacle for me.
Ever since I opened my Moon Eye, the night had become my domain.
Thud!
I stomped the ground with the ball of my foot, simultaneously analyzing my flaws in my head.
Too much force. I need to dial it back next time.
I had used more muscle than necessary and bent my knees too deeply.
Swoosh! The sword cut the air once more.
This time, not enough power in my waist.
The angle of my fingertips.
The tension in my core.
The rotation of my wrist as I twisted.
The resulting variance in the speed and direction of the sword's tip.
I committed every single detail to memory, determined not to overlook even the slightest error.
Flash!
A brilliant blue light erupted in the darkness.
It was the first form of the Blue Moon Sword Dance: Moon Wave.
The light was sharper and far more stable than when I had first unleashed it.
I could now withstand the recoil to some extent.
With the tremors minimized, executing the form had become much smoother.
Next.
Flowing into the next motion, I raised my sword toward the sky.
And then—
Shhhk!
The tip of the blade swept down toward the earth, tearing through the darkness.
A gale howled as the air itself seemed to split open.
*Roar!*
The second form of the Blue Moon Sword Dance: Night Moon.
Though it looked like a simple downward slash, it was actually far more difficult to execute than Moon Wave.
It only looks simple. What a pain.
The flow of internal energy required for this form, and the control needed to maintain that energy within such a basic motion, was immense.
Yoo Chun-gil had demonstrated it effortlessly, which only made it more frustrating.
A simple downward slash was too plain a vessel to contain the vast concept of "night."
Trying to paint such profound depth onto so simple a canvas made it incredibly difficult and complex.
Finding the center of gravity is tricky, too.
If I put too much strength into my legs, the form fell apart.
But if I relaxed too much, the energy dispersed.
I was managing to execute the technique somehow, but...
There's just too much to think about.
It was still too impractical to use in a real fight.
What did I need to do to solve this?
I already knew the answer.
...What else? I just have to train.
If I was too weak to handle the recoil, I just had to make myself stronger.
Knowing that was exactly why I was doing this crazy shit in the middle of the night.
"Whew..."
I stopped moving and exhaled slowly.
As I caught my ragged breath, I reached down to unbuckle the weights strapped to my body.
Thud! Clang!
Heavy sandbags fell to the ground. I had been wearing one on each arm and one on each ankle.
Shedding the extra weight made me feel instantly lighter.
"Ugh."
No matter how much I did it, I still hated it. It was exhausting, yet I found myself doing this every single day.
"Are you finished already?" Yoo Chun-gil asked as I unstrapped the sandbags.
"Yes. Just about."
I wanted to keep going, but I had only recently taken off my bandages. Overexerting myself wasn't a good idea.
It's strange, I thought, looking at the arm that had been bandaged.
Is it because my realm increased? My recovery speed is incredibly fast.
They said that unless a master's limb was severed or crushed, they would heal and walk around fine within a few days.
It seemed they weren't exaggerating.
Even now, as long as I was careful, I had no trouble moving my arm.
I planned to do some bodyweight exercises later, but for now, my sword training was done.
Well, after one last thing.
I took a deep breath.
Hummm!
My internal energy surged, flowing through my meridians and spreading throughout my body.
It was the energy of the Cheongwol Mind Method.
The energy flooded my system.
Without the sandbags, the sensation was far lighter and more potent.
Feeling that power, I raised my sword.
"Whew."
My breath carried a trace of internal energy.
This was the most significant change since I had reached the First-rate realm.
Will it work?
I wondered if I could pull it off, but I didn't waste time hesitating.
Whether I succeeded or failed, I couldn't afford to stop.
I gripped the hilt tightly and channeled my energy.
*Fwoosh!*
The blue energy began to weave together like threads, wrapping around the blade.
"Ho," Yoo Chun-gil murmured in my ear.
I ignored him and kept focusing.
How did the old man do it?
How did he move the energy, and how did he shape it?
Remember. Recall it.
The first was to envision the moon.
The second was to create the night.
And the third...
To radiate brilliant light.
To infuse the rising moon and the descending night with pure radiance.
To manifest that light upon the blade.
That was the third form of the Blue Moon Sword Dance that Yoo Chun-gil had shown me.
And so...
Sssss!
I attempted to coat my sword in that same light.
The energy from that moment, the method he used—I recalled it all and poured it into the blade.
If I could do this, I would be able to manifest the sword-qi that Yoo Chun-gil used.
With that hope, the light began to gather on the blade, but...
*Crack! Shatter!*
"..."
Before the light could reach the tip of the sword, it crumbled and shattered.
"Damn it."
I clicked my tongue as the fragments of energy dissolved and fell to the ground.
A failure.
I had failed.
What went wrong this time?
I couldn't tell. What was the issue?
Channelling the energy and shaping it hadn't felt any different from before.
"Hmm."
I could usually spot my own mistakes, but this one eluded me.
Sheathe.
I slid the sword back into its scabbard and looked up.
Yoo Chun-gil was floating in the darkness, watching me.
"How do you do this?" I asked bluntly.
"I feel like I did everything right, but something is off."
Was it a lack of internal energy? No, when Yoo Chun-gil possessed my body, he had used even less energy than I had now.
Is it the way I'm applying it?
Or perhaps it was because my body hadn't fully healed yet.
Who knows.
I couldn't be sure. The best option was to ask the man who actually knew the answer.
But...
"Hmm. Hmmmm." Yoo Chun-gil tilted his head, studying me with a strange look.
Ah, this was bad. Whenever he made that annoying face, trouble always followed.
Sure enough, a look of deep contemplation crossed his face.
But he wasn't thinking about how to teach me.
He was debating whether to teach me at all.
What a petty old man.
"...Can't you just tell me? Don't pull any of your usual petty tricks."
"Ho? Listen to this brat. Who is being petty? I am merely pondering how to explain it to you in the most benevolent manner possible."
Yeah, right.
Both the old man and I knew that was complete nonsense.
"Hmm." Yoo Chun-gil pondered a bit longer before nodding. "I can teach you, but explaining it in words is rather tedious."
"...So, what? Are you going to possess me again?"
Was he going to show me one more time? That wouldn't be bad.
However...
I don't think he has enough time left for possession.
If I recalled correctly, he had overexerted himself in the Secret Vault, so his time should be severely limited.
As if confirming my suspicion, the old man spoke hesitantly.
"No, that would be difficult... Hmm." Yoo Chun-gil tapped his thick fingers against his monstrously muscular forearm.
Just how hard was this to explain?
"Yes, let us sleep on it first. That would be best."
"...What..."
In the end, he was saying he wouldn't tell me anything. I was dumbfounded.
When I glared at him with a scowl, Yoo Chun-gil offered an awkward grin.
"Do not look at me with such a terrifying gaze. I truly believe I can explain it better after you have slept."
"What does sleeping have to do with anything?"
"Well, does a good night's rest not clear the mind and heal the body?"
"Don't make me laugh. You don't even sleep, old man."
"..."
Yoo Chun-gil was left speechless.
I shook my head at the sight.
Even if I argue with him...
When had this old man ever backed down?
"Sigh."
I picked up the sandbags I had tossed onto the ground.
As I packed up to leave, Yoo Chun-gil looked at me in confusion.
"Hm? Why are you preparing to leave? I thought you said you would train more."
"Didn't you just tell me to go to sleep? Besides, I can't do any more anyway."
I had thought about pushing a bit further, but looking at my physical condition, resting was the right choice.
"Hmm? Is that so...?" Yoo Chun-gil sounded disappointed, but he didn't urge me to continue.
Brush, brush.
I dusted myself off and walked out of the training ground.
How much time had passed since I started?
Judging by the position of the moon, I had been at it for quite a while.
It's strange.
It really was.
I had a mountain of things to worry about, yet whenever I trained, my mind went completely blank.
In the past, my head would have been filled with distractions.
Honestly, now was a time when I should be prioritizing other thoughts.
...Like the Patheongung, the special-grade weapons, and all that.
Those mysterious bastards.
The rewards I was supposed to receive from the Dang Clan.
And even putting those aside...
...There's Yeong-sun. And also...
Jegal Jin.
I needed to think about my sudden connection to the Jegal Clan.
Yet, instead of pondering any of that, I had lost myself in training the moment I started.
"Hmm."
How did I end up like this?
I used to be different.
It's all that old man's fault.
If I had to place the blame, Yoo Chun-gil was the prime suspect.
But then again, how could I help it?
How could I forget after seeing something like that?
Even saying I "saw" it was an understatement.
My own body had executed that martial art.
Unable to forget the sensation, I kept picking up the sword.
Because I felt like I had to do something.
So, I kept swinging.
What was even funnier...
...was that it was fun.
Learning and practicing martial arts was actually enjoyable.
I used to look at martial artists and secretly think they were all weirdos.
Now, I was slowly becoming just like them.
It was an uncomfortable realization.
Yet, at the same time, it felt good.
As ridiculous as it was.
I returned to my quarters and tried to sleep.
Partly because of what Yoo Chun-gil had said.
But also because I had a lot to do once I woke up.
I wanted to wrap things up quickly and get the hell out of Sichuan.
With those thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.
"...Oh, for fuck's sake."
A world of pure white.
The moment I opened my eyes in this place, a curse escaped my lips.
It was a highly familiar space.
And I meant that in the worst possible way.