It seed all the senior brothers were already aware of the rumors concerning the duel between my master and .
"Shouldn't they just give one of the Five Swords of Wudang spots to Unhwi from the start?"
"It's not like we didn't know Unhwi's skills, so what's so new about it... Still, I didn't think he'd beat soone from the elder generation."
"Then the question is who will be number two... Who do you think it'll be? Grand Senior Brother Un Gwang? Or Senior Brother Un Hwang?"
"You can't leave out Senior Brother Un Jihak or Senior Brother Un Jo. They've all been training scarily hard lately."
A few senior brothers were chattering away in the dining hall, not even realizing I was listening. Thanks to them, I got to know what my seniors thought of .
'They're... not really making a big deal out of it.'
And this was the conclusion I reached.
Perhaps because I had been showing off so much, my senior brothers weren't greatly agitated by the news of my duel with my master.
Everyone's reaction was just along the lines of "as expected" or "I knew Unhwi could do it."
Perhaps this level of reaction was normal.
But, for so reason, I felt my heart swell a little.
'The elders yesterday, and the senior brothers today... no one is jealous...'
I started to wonder if I had been hiding my skills and distancing myself from senior brothers outside my own room because I was needlessly scared.
The sa went for the elders. Except for my master or Elder Hyeon Cheong, I rarely let my guard down around them, but this incident seed to have changed my mind a little.
At the sa ti, my affection for the Wudang Sect seed to grow even stronger. These foolishly good people. I felt a resolve that I must protect them if the Demonic Cult bastards ever truly invaded.
"Hwi-ya. If you're done eating, can we talk for a bit?"
"Grand Senior Brother! I'm almost done."
"Ah, really? Then can you spare so ti after you finish?"
Just then, Un Gwang approached and spoke to .
I greeted him warmly. I hadn't had a proper conversation with Un Gwang since returning to the Wudang Sect.
"Of course, I can."
"Great. Then shall we et at that clearing from last ti in a little while?"
"That clearing from last ti" seed to refer to the place where we often t to discuss martial arts.
I nodded, and Senior Brother Un Gwang smiled brightly and left.
Senior Brother Un Jeong, who was sitting opposite and watching him intently, muttered, "Is sothing good happening with Grand Senior Brother?"
"Why do you ask?"
"His expression is good. Actually, while you were gone, Grand Senior Brother's expression was very dark. I thought either sothing had happened, or sothing wasn't going well. But today, he's very bright."
"Was he? I wonder if sothing really happened."
I looked in the direction Un Gwang had disappeared with a questioning expression, then quickly focused on the remaining food.
No matter how curious I was, there was no way to know now, and I would find out soon enough anyway.
***
"You're here?"
A little while later, I ca to et Un Gwang. Even though we had just seen each other, Un Gwang wore a welcoming expression as if we were eting after a very long ti.
"You didn't get hurt or sick while you were out?"
"No, I didn't. You've been well too, right, Grand Senior Brother?"
"Of course. I haven't even left the Wudang Sect, so I've been fine without any incidents."
"Don't you feel stuffy staying only within the Wudang Sect? With your level of skill, the Sect Leader would probably allow you to go out."
"Probably, right? The junior brothers in our room also go down the mountain and co back often. But I don't really feel like going down. There's nothing to do down there."
"Eat delicious food, et other people... Hmm. Co to think of it, those things probably don't appeal to you much, Grand Senior Brother."
"Right. I just like to quietly train here, feel nature, and research martial arts."
Un Gwang said with a gentle smile.
It was the sa in my past life. Although Un Gwang was a very kind and sociable person, he rarely engaged in lively external activities or went around eting many people.
You could say his personality was "don't stop those who co, don't hold on to those who go."
One of the reasons I could get along with Un Gwang was precisely that.
I wasn't the type to burden others, and Un Gwang wasn't the type to make those around him feel burdened either.
"But what's going on today? The atmosphere doesn't seem like you just called to say hello."
"Yeah. That's right. I called you because there's sothing I want to ask of you."
"What kind of favor is it that you'd call out separately to ask? Is it sothing difficult?"
"It could be difficult, or it might not be. No. With your personality, it might not be that difficult."
"What on earth is it?"
Un Gwang hesitated a little more before finally opening his mouth.
"I recently created a new sword art."
"A sword art?"
"Yeah."
A hollow laugh escaped without realizing it.
It was because the way he said he created a sword art, as if it were as natural as saying "I made dinner yesterday," was absurd.
"What kind of sword art is it?"
"I've nad it the Taeguk Nine Swords for now."
"Taeguk Nine Swords?"
"Yeah. As you can tell from the na, it's a sword art created by applying the Taeguk Sword Art. It has a bit of the Heaven and Earth One Sword mixed in, and the Nine Palaces Sword Art is mixed in as well."
I still couldn't quite grasp what kind of sword art it was.
"Are you asking to learn the sword art and confirm if it can be actually implented?"
It was the sa when we created the Heaven and Earth One Sword together, so I thought it might be a similar request this ti, but Un Gwang quietly shook his head.
"No. If it were such an easy favor, I wouldn't have asked so seriously."
"Easy favor... how much bone-crushing effort does it take to learn a new martial art and perform it skillfully..."
"Still, it's not that difficult for you, is it? Right?"
"Well... that's true, actually."
At my confident reply, Un Gwang smiled for a mont and then opened his mouth again.
"And just as the Heaven and Earth One Sword was a sword art for you, the Taeguk Nine Swords is a sword art for . It ans I'm already learning it."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But the biggest problem is... there's no way to confirm if I've learned this martial art properly."
"Why? If it has as much power as you imagined when you perform it, wouldn't that an you made it correctly?"
"The Taeguk Nine Swords is not a sword art you perform when you attack first. It's a sword art for properly countering an opponent's attack when they co at you."
"Ah...! So that's why you said you improved the Taeguk Sword Art. But what's different from the Taeguk Sword Art? The Taeguk Sword Art can also counter an opponent's force if you use the mystery of Taeguk appropriately."
At my question, Un Gwang nodded his head vigorously.
Seeing him look so pleased, I must have asked a very appropriate question.
"The biggest difference between the Taeguk Sword Art and the Taeguk Nine Swords is how much force they can receive. The Taeguk Sword Art, in the end, can counter a force about twice my own strength, depending on my internal energy, the degree of my physical training, and how much I understand the mystery of Taeguk, right?"
"Right."
"But the Taeguk Nine Swords, in theory, is a martial art that can counter five tis... no, even ten tis one's own strength."
"Five to ten tis?"
I stared at him with wide eyes.
In fact, in other sects, even the Taeguk Sword Art is considered an absurd martial art.
Because it's a martial art that can counter the force of an opponent twice as strong as you.
But five tis. It's no exaggeration to call this a cheat-level martial art.
I knew Un Gwang was a genius, but I didn't know he was this much of a genius.
No matter how much he referenced and applied other martial arts, to be able to create such an outstanding martial art, it was to the point where you could say he had the disposition of a great master.
"Of course, to achieve that maximum efficiency, various conditions and restrictions are necessary. Still, even without major conditions, it should be able to counter about three tis the force."
"Even that is amazing, isn't it? If this works out, it's a great martial art that could greatly develop our entire Wudang Sect."
"Of course, learning it isn't easy either. You have to have at least my level of enlightennt in the mystery of Taeguk, and you have to understand the Nine Palaces Sword Art and the Heaven and Earth One Sword to almost the tenth stage. So, to put it simply, it ans that the only ones who can learn this martial art are or you."
"Ah... I see."
"There's room to research and make it a little easier... but this is the limit for now."
I listened to Un Gwang's story in a daze and nodded.
Even after creating such an amazing martial art, Un Gwang didn't seem to think of himself as that great.
"The story has gone in circles, but what is the favor you want to ask of ?"
"Ah! We were talking about that, weren't we?"
He said it as if he had forgotten.
I have no idea how he creates such amazing martial arts with that kind of ntality.
"So what I want to ask is for you to perform so martial arts on ."
"Martial arts?"
"Yeah. And with about three tis the force I can currently generate."
"W-Wait a minute. Three tis the force you can generate, Grand Senior Brother. That martial art... you haven't even properly tested it yet?"
"That's right. To be honest, I've only created it in theory and have never properly perford it."
I looked at Un Gwang with a dumbfounded expression.
Once you reach a certain level, you can roughly tell the level of an opponent weaker than you just by standing next to them.
About three tis Un Gwang's strength? I can certainly generate that much now.
But that's not the problem.
"I can't do that. It's easy to say three tis the force, but it's a situation similar to three people of your level performing martial arts at the sa ti. Have you imagined how great the shock would be if that martial art called Taeguk Nine Swords is still incomplete and doesn't perform properly?"
"Of course, I've imagined it..."
"Then you know well. If you get hit by such an attack wrongly, you'll be at least seriously injured, and if you're unlucky, you could suffer severe internal injuries or, in the worst case, even die. I can't do such a thing."
"Unhwi-ya. Please. This is sothing no one but you can do. Actually, I've tried to test this martial art with the junior brothers in our room several tis, but they all lack internal energy compared to . I need to counter the martial arts of a martial artist stronger than , but to find a martial artist stronger than , they have to be at least at the elder level."
"But the elders, of course, would have no intention of granting such an absurd request."
"Right. That's why you're really the only person I can ask."
"Even so..."
"It will never fail. In theory, it's perfect. If you help prove that this martial art is complete, I'll teach you the Taeguk Nine Swords right away. Please, I'm begging you, Unhwi-ya."
Un Gwang took another step towards with very desperate eyes and spoke.
Of course, I believe in Un Gwang's ability.
The Heaven and Earth One Sword has beco one of the martial arts I use best now, and the martial arts I organized with Un Gwang have helped my skills advance even further.
But this is a different problem now.
Because if sothing goes wrong, even by a one-in-a-million chance, I could kill Un Gwang with my own hands.
"Junior Brother."
"Yes?"
"Just trust once. And if this succeeds properly... I'm sure I'll be able to advance several more stages. I've gained confidence in creating martial arts."
Un Gwang's gaze was resolute.
I... might have to grant Un Gwang's request in the end.
(End of Chapter)
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