The Meaning of Training
I sat in the medical hall for what felt like ages, pondering what the “circulation” that always popped up in martial arts novels actually meant. It was the act of generating internal energy through breathing and controlling its flow within the body. In simple terms, it was training to strengthen one’s inner power.
So why hadn’t my own attempts at strengthening inner power worked properly? That question had lingered in my mind. But now, I finally understood. I knew exactly why the circulation I’d practiced in the medical hall had failed to replenish my internal energy.
Cheonwol Divine Art
Rank: B+
Type: Martial Arts
Description: The exclusive cultivation method of the Cheonwol Sect. It is based on Yin energy and includes the Moonlight Sword Art as its foundational sword technique and the Moonlit Night Heart Method as its foundational mental cultivation. Rumors say that upon reaching great completion, one can command moonlight itself.
※ Martial arts gain infinite value depending on the user’s proficiency. The more you train, the greater its worth will become.
※ Because it is strongly rooted in Yin energy, it may cause difficulty when attempting to learn martial arts that utilize Yang energy.
Now I saw it clearly. The Cheonwol Divine Art occupied a prominent place in my skill list. And right at the bottom was the warning that learning martial arts based on Yang energy would become difficult.
Related Arts:
[Moonlight Sword Art]
[Moonlit Night Heart Method]
The Cheonwol Divine Art was the first proper combat technique I had ever learned, and at the same time, it was the most difficult one to understand. All the skills I had acquired until now felt like something straight out of a game. Whether it was Wholehearted Devotion that activated with a trigger word, or Quick Comprehension that triggered under special conditions, they had an inexplicable quality that defied common sense.
But skills categorized as martial arts seemed to follow a slightly different logic.
This feels less like I “obtained” it… and more like I “learned” it.
If someone asked me to perform the Moonlight Sword Art right now, I could only execute the forms I had copied from Hwayeong. Anything I hadn’t learned or truly understood, I simply couldn’t use no matter how much I wanted to. On the bright side, it meant there was still room for growth. On the darker side, it meant that the moment I left the second floor, I would lose the chance to learn any more of the Moonlight Sword Art without Hwayeong’s guidance.
I don’t have as much time as I thought.
While I remained on the second floor, I needed to squeeze out every possible benefit I could. And to do that, I had to properly finish the “circulation” training that I had only just begun to grasp.
“Huuup… Hooo……”
I slowly drew in energy and began circulating it according to the method Dang Hwi-so had taught me. Perhaps because the mental cultivation technique contained the words “moon” and “night,” performing circulation beneath the moon at midnight worked remarkably well from the start.
My mind grew calm. A cool energy entered me, gently carrying out the heat I hadn’t even realized was inside my body. After some time had passed, I exhaled my final breath and carefully opened my eyes.
“Huu… Huh?”
And at that moment, I realized Hwayeong had been standing right in front of me, staring intently.
Her expression was incredibly complex. She looked surprised, happy, and somehow wronged all at once.
“Um… Lady Hwayeong?”
“Yes?”
“Did I… do something wrong?”
“……No.”
At my question, she fell into deep thought, gazing up at the night sky in prolonged silence.
What in the world is going on?
I didn’t think I had made any mistakes toward her. In fact, I hadn’t even had the time to make any mistakes. So what was this situation about?
Fortunately, the answer didn’t require a long conversation.
“I was simply a little surprised.”
“About what?”
“Well… how should I put it. There’s so much I want to say, yet I find myself at a loss for words.”
She unfastened the sword from her waist and sat down lightly beside me.
“Young Hero Siin, you learned the sword by watching me train, correct?”
“Yes. I am ashamed to admit I stole glances at your training, but you are right.”
“And that period was exactly seven days.”
“That’s correct.”
I nodded quietly at her questions. Thanks to my cheat-like skill Quick Comprehension and my superhuman stats, it had been possible. Since everything she said was accurate, I decided to listen until the end.
“How long do you think it took me to even begin learning the Cheonwol Divine Art?”
“……I’m not sure?”
Unlike me, Hwayeong was a true martial artist of the Murim. Born in a world where everyone wielded swords, she had grown into a sword wielder herself. It seemed I had greatly underestimated her effort.
“Fifteen years.”
“……”
“Of course, in my very early childhood I was simply swinging a sword wildly, so I suppose the time I truly devoted myself to the sword would be about seven years.”
Her timid expression was finally starting to make sense. It was only natural to feel dumbfounded when someone copied a sword art that had taken seven years to master in just one week.
“When you first used the Moonlight Sword Art, I was furious at the thought that my technique had been stolen. But to my astonishment, that thief had absorbed the Moonlight Sword Art so perfectly.”
“Ah… um, I’m sorry.”
At my apology, Hwayeong gave a small smile.
“Yet when I faced your Moonlight Sword Art, I realized something. That there were parts where I was lacking…”
Her voice trailed off as she gripped the hilt of her sword tightly. Then, as if recalling yesterday’s spar, she took a short, deep breath.
“That my sword lacked power. That I could have been softer, yet I had been too rough… And through that, I felt it once again. Ah, this person is someone who can help me grow.”
“……”
“That is why I spared you.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. But when Hwayeong saw my expression, she lightly tapped my shoulder as if it had been a joke and continued.
“However, there is something else. Young Hero Siin, you were performing the Moonlit Night Heart Method—a technique I have never once shown you.”
“I was?”
“Yes. Just now, in this very spot.”
Her face was filled with a lack of confidence. It was the expression of someone who had given everything, only for a person of impossible talent to appear and render all their effort meaningless.
“I feel drained. Haha.”
She smiled faintly while staring into empty space. What was I supposed to say? Offering words of comfort or encouragement in a situation like this would only make her feel more miserable. Yet this silence had grown so heavy that I couldn’t endure it without speaking.
A breeze blew past. The sweat that had flowed during circulation cooled against my skin, and a chill slowly crept over me. But a moment later, it was not my mouth but hers that opened first.
“Young Hero Siin.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“The Cheonwol Divine Art is an extremely precious and exclusive martial art that contains everything our Cheonwol Sect stands for. And I… I wish to see its end one day, without fail.”
I tilted my head, unsure what she meant. But her next words made me cheer with joy inside.
“If you wish, I will help you.”
“R-really?”
“However, there are conditions.”
I listened with utmost attention.
“The conditions I will state are exactly three. If you can uphold them, I will assist you as well.”
“Please tell me.”
Helping someone who had essentially stolen her sect’s exclusive martial art—there were bound to be conditions. But the ones that followed were simpler than expected, though one of them was quite difficult.
“First, please do not carelessly pass on the exclusive martial arts of the Cheonwol Sect to others.”
“Of course. That is no problem at all.”
“And if you ever take on a disciple, only choose those with upright character and personality. Raise them with sincere dedication and your utmost effort.”
It was only natural. After all, I had never intended to share my full power with just anyone.
“Second, while you are attending Jeongmu Academy, please assist me with my training. Just like you have done until now—point out the areas where I am lacking. There is nothing particularly special about it.”
“I have many shortcomings myself, but I will do my best.”
I nodded. Hwayeong was a powerful martial artist. At the same time, she was an impossibly humble person. If I began learning martial arts from her in earnest, I would eventually become her disciple. Yet here she was, asking her own future student to critique her posture? That was something only someone with an extraordinary mindset could say.
“And finally…”
I listened carefully. So far, the conditions had been so reasonable they could hardly be called requests. But the final one was certainly significant enough to trigger a system notification.
“In the martial tournament twenty days from now, participate and show the true worth of the Cheonwol Divine Art.”
Master and Disciple - Martial Tournament
📍 Theme: Linked Quest
📍 Difficulty: B
📍 Description: Hwayeong feels regret that the Cheonwol Sect is looked down upon within Jeongmu Academy simply because it is not one of the Nine Great Sects. Although she has achieved decent results in previous tournaments, a single example is far too insufficient to demonstrate the true power of the Cheonwol Sect. Participate in this Jeongmu Academy martial tournament together with Hwayeong and show everyone the strength of the Cheonwol Divine Art.
📍 Objective: Advance to the semifinals of the martial tournament
📍 Restrictions: Must be acknowledged by Hwayeong / Must have learned the Cheonwol Divine Art / Must have learned the Moonlight Sword Art
📍 Reward: Martial tournament prizes / Secret manual of the Cheonwol Divine Art
📍 Failure Penalty: Hwayeong will be disappointed.
※ This is a ‘Linked Quest.’ Refusal or failure will result in the failure of all previous linked quests.
It was more than enough reason to become stronger. The scenario made it perfectly clear why this quest was ranked B.
But still…
One question crossed my mind.
Just what kind of quest would be ranked A?
The quest I had received from Dang Hwi-so, the physician of the medical hall. At first I had thought it was simply a quest to learn martial arts, but now it seemed I would need to be far more cautious.