Chapter 574
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 574
Chapter Title: Feeling Good
Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun, the two boys, had just barely completed their first small heavenly circulation after about half an hour.
The pair opened their eyes.
They had only just begun learning internal energy cultivation methods, and they were still children, so managing even that much was impressive.
"How does it feel?"
"There's something warm in here."
Gong Hae-jun placed a hand on his dantian as he spoke.
"It feels like it's gotten a bit bigger."
This time it was Gong Hae-bin.
It had definitely been smaller than a grain of rice before, but now it was the size of one.
"You must circulate your energy like that for at least one double hour every morning. If it's too hard at first, start with half and gradually work up to a full one."
The two children nodded determinedly at Ha Mu-baek's words.
"By the way, you only managed about half an hour this time."
"Ah!"
"Oh..."
The flustered children hurriedly tried to resume their cross-legged position, but they couldn't.
Ha Mu-baek's energy was suppressing their movements.
"That's already impressive for your first try. You'll probably manage half a double hour next time without issue."
Ha Mu-baek found their reactions amusing and chuckled despite himself.
The children stared blankly at each other, then at Ha Mu-baek.
"When I first received guidance on the heart method from my master, I only lasted about half an hour myself."
With Ha Mu-baek sharing his own experience, the boys' expressions finally relaxed.
"Starting tomorrow morning, push yourself to last as long as possible, but don't go beyond your limits."
The Three Talents Heart Method was a foundational technique and extremely stable, so it didn't really have strict limits.
Still, he worried the young children might overdo it with the heart method, so he cautioned them.
Judging by how they had performed so far, it seemed entirely possible.
So, he decided to shift their focus elsewhere.
Their progress so far seemed solid enough for that.
Ha Mu-baek extended a hand to one side.
Crack.
Two massive branches from a towering tree snapped off and flew straight into Ha Mu-baek's hand.
The boys, who had been mulling over his advice, gaped in shock at the sudden turn of events.
Was this the kind of harmony only martial artists could achieve, the stuff they'd only heard about?
In truth, the children had never witnessed a true martial artist's prowess.
All they'd seen was that punk with a knife causing trouble getting pummeled by Gwan Po.
That was the extent of their exposure.
This was their first time seeing the legendary harmony of a martial artist, beyond mere stories and imagination.
He reached out, and those thick branches broke off and flew over.
The boys' eyes filled with awe.
Ha Mu-baek remained nonchalant.
He spread his left hand, and the two thick branches floated lightly in the air.
With a casual flick of his sword, they were swiftly shaped into a pair of wooden swords.
"Hm."
Ha Mu-baek inspected his handiwork for a moment.
He wasn't entirely satisfied, but his expression said it would do.
"Wow..."
"Ah..."
The boys stared in dazed admiration.
What had just happened before their eyes?
Their faces showed utter bewilderment.
Master— they already saw Ha Mu-baek as their master— reached out, the branches whirled over and hovered, then with a few swishes of his sword, two wooden swords appeared.
Was this really something a human could do?
Their awe was overflowing, on the verge of bursting.
Ha Mu-baek kept a straight face at their reaction, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.
His shoulders wanted to lift with pride, whether he liked it or not.
'Tch, it's just this much.'
His mind said one thing, but he couldn't hide the smile tugging at his lips.
Still, he spoke indifferently.
"They're made from fresh wood, so they won't last forever, but they'll do for now."
With that, he handed the wooden swords to the boys.
He had carved them to fit their sizes perfectly.
Of course, Ha Mu-baek had only glanced and shaved them roughly.
The children carefully accepted the wooden swords.
"You're going to learn the Three Talents Sword Method."
This was why he had to demonstrate it personally once, rather than just letting them learn from a manual.
At the mention of learning swordsmanship, the boys' eyes sparkled.
They seemed to have forgotten all about their heart method worries.
"Grip your swords."
At Ha Mu-baek's command, the boys awkwardly grasped their swords.
Ha Mu-baek watched closely, then stepped forward to correct their grips.
"Like this."
Gong Hae-jun and Gong Hae-bin gripped tightly as if determined not to forget the proper sword hold Ha Mu-baek had shown them.
"Gripping that hard makes your body stiff."
Ha Mu-baek pointed it out, and the boys quickly loosened their hands.
"Then you'll drop it."
They hastily gripped tight again.
Their fumbling was amusing.
They were brimming with talent, but holding a sword for the first time had them thrilled and tense.
Even if it was just a wooden one.
After Ha Mu-baek corrected them a few times, they finally held the hilt with the right amount of strength.
"Good. Just like that. For today, focus on getting used to holding the sword. Hold it for about half a double hour."
They stood with their swords hanging loosely at their sides, simply gripping them still.
The boys had been full of anticipation, but this boring exercise might have deflated them a bit.
Yet they remained utterly serious.
Ha Mu-baek nodded in satisfaction.
It looked simple, but it was far from easy.
Holding a sword for half a double hour?
It might seem effortless at first, but after just a quarter hour, aches would spread through the body, and pain would build in the palms.
Ha Mu-baek watched them quietly.
It was training, but also a test.
As expected, changes appeared after a quarter hour.
As time passed, the boys began to tremble.
Still, they bit their lips and maintained the posture.
After another quarter hour...
"Take a short break."
Gong Hae-bin and Gong Hae-jun jumped at Ha Mu-baek's words.
"I didn't say you had to hold it continuously for half a double hour."
Thinking back, that was true.
He had said to hold it for half a double hour, not continuously.
"Well done."
Ha Mu-baek smiled faintly as he spoke, and smiles bloomed on the boys' faces too.
They rested for a quarter hour.
"Shall we try gripping again?"
At Ha Mu-baek's words, the boys naturally gripped their swords.
Ha Mu-baek nodded approvingly.
They held them with the proper strength and method.
It seemed good enough, but he had them practice the grip for another quarter hour anyway.
By the time nearly a full double hour had passed since arriving...
"It's about time to head back. I'll show you what we'll do tomorrow, then we go."
Ha Mu-baek drew his sword.
He simply sliced downward from above in a vertical cut.
Then from left to right in a horizontal slash.
Finally, he thrust straight forward.
"These three are the basics for now. Tomorrow, we'll practice these basic forms. Once you're familiar, we'll add variations. Let's head back."
Ha Mu-baek sheathed his sword as he spoke.
The boys, who had stared intently at his sword, clutched their wooden swords preciously and followed behind him.
Ha Mu-baek noticed their palms.
'Tch.'
Even though it was fresh wood still moist and soft, the children's palms were already blistered.
Back at the inn, Ha Mu-baek briefly visited his room.
"Bring your wooden swords here."
In the room, he wrapped the hilts firmly with cloth he had fetched.
"This should be more comfortable."
"Thank you!"
"Thanks!"
The boys bowed energetically to Ha Mu-baek, then hugged their wooden swords tightly as they took them to their room behind the kitchen.
They sprang into action.
Busy dinner hours were approaching.
Gwan Po was sipping tea at a corner table in the dining area.
Whenever it cooled, Eun Cheong-seon would replace it with hot tea, so it still felt warm.
"Good work."
Gwan Po grinned at Ha Mu-baek's casual remark.
Just then, Gyu Hwi and Wi Su-yeon came down from upstairs.
"Teach them well?"
Gyu Hwi sat across from Ha Mu-baek and asked with a smile.
"Eh, decent enough."
Ha Mu-baek answered indifferently.
But...
"You look pretty pleased for 'decent enough.'"
Gyu Hwi spoke as if he knew everything.
In the meantime, Eun Cheong-seon brought tea for the three.
It was a bit early for dinner, but the timing was about right.
"Moderately portioned meals, please."
After staying at the inn for days, Gyu Hwi trusted Chef Gong's cooking and ordered accordingly.
"Same for me."
Ha Mu-baek followed suit.
As Eun Cheong-seon left, Gyu Hwi spoke again.
"Teaching talented kids is a damn good feeling."
Gyu Hwi had plenty of such experiences already.
Though everyone's standards for talent differed.
Ha Mu-baek silently brought his tea to his lips.
"So, happy now?"
Gyu Hwi tossed out another question.
Ha Mu-baek set down his cup and pondered briefly.
"Who knows if this is happiness. But yeah, just like you said, it felt good."
A smile graced Ha Mu-baek's lips.
Deep underground.
A space of utter, suffocating darkness.
No one could breathe there, yet the man lying as if dead breathed peacefully.
"Still not enough."
He muttered in a clear, gravelly voice, as if conversing with someone.
[It's already sufficient.]
A voice echoed in his mind.
"You really think so?"
The man sneered mockingly.
"You know what happened up there, don't you?"
His tone dripped with cynicism.
[Your darkness is already spreading. It's dyeing the world black.]
"But it's weaker than that power."
The man, Gae Se-aek, objectively assessed his current state.
After sinking into the darkness and descending to these depths...
Up there.
He learned much later what had become of the Blood Cult's main base.
Utter annihilation.
No one survived.
As he sank into the darkness, he had sensed the immense presences hidden by the Blood Cult—all gone.
His power still fell short.
Rushing out in complacency would lead to the same fate.
Reverse Heaven Blood Flow Destruction Blood Art.
The Blood Cult's strongest, final technique—but ultimately, the art of the defeated.
Yet the power he gained through its guidance.
Darkness.
The Reverse Heaven Blood Flow Destruction Blood Art had evolved into the Reverse Heaven Blood Flow Destruction Darkness Art.
Even feeling this overflowing power, he couldn't shake the sense that it was still the loser's art.
Thus, Gae Se-aek sought to master the darkness more perfectly.
Darkness within darkness.
Deep, profound darkness.
The abyss of darkness, the darkness of the abyss.
To claim it.
[Then test the extent of your power.]
The darkness proposed.
"How?"
[At your current level, you can infuse power into the remnants of darkness that linger.]
And a method seeped into his mind.
"I'll do it."
Gae Se-aek accepted the darkness's suggestion.
Countless thin, thread-like strands of dark energy rose from his body, detaching and spreading far through the earth.
These energies extended endlessly, but most vanished or lay dormant without achieving their goal.
Among them.
One strand heading toward Henan Province's Cheonjung Mountain found its target and seeped in.
Falling Dragon Cliff.
A sheer precipice on the northern face of Cheonjung Mountain.
A bottomless chasm of unknowable depth.
During the Great Martial War, fierce battles had raged here.
As part of the Myriad Things Alliance's territory, their warriors formed the core, but since it was Henan, Shaolin Temple, Beggars' Sect, and other local forces had joined in numbers.
The battle ended in Righteous Heaven Alliance's victory after immense hardship, but the Beggars' Sect suffered heavy losses.
They lost their designated next leader.
Not to the Blood Cult.
He threw himself off the cliff.
But ultimately, it was because of the Blood Cult.
The Battle of Falling Dragon Cliff had shocked the Righteous Heaven Alliance, as it was the first time the Demon Eradication Curse revealed itself.
The Beggars' Sect's vice leader realized amid the horror that he too had cultivated Demon Eradication and hurled himself into the abyss.
To prevent harming his comrades, he ended it before the curse fully manifested.
Thus, the vice leader plunged into the thousand-league chasm.
Years later, Gae Se-aek's dark energy seeped into his corpse.