A Black Inkstick Makes You Black (2)
After finishing his dawn exercise and morning meal, it was time for martial arts exchange again.
However, today was a bit different from yesterday.
“I will personally teach Mu-jin the martial arts of Wudang.”
Master Yunheo suddenly selected Mu-jin.
Although it was a surprising situation, Mu-jin stepped forward without hesitation.
“Thank you.”
The chance to be taught by one of the Three Swords of the World, known as the Taiji Sword Immortal, was not something to be refused.
Master Yunheo looked at Mu-jin with a complex expression for a moment, then turned to call Qing Shui.
“Qing Shui, you should come along too.”“Yes, Grandmaster.”
Eventually, Mu-jin and Qing Shui left the training ground and followed Master Yunheo to somewhere in Wudang Mountain.
After climbing the mountain path for a while, they arrived at a pavilion situated at the top of a mountain peak.
“This is the pavilion where I reside. You can enjoy the scenery of Jade Maiden Peak from here. Hahaha.”
Indeed, Master Yunheo laughing heartily in the pavilion at the cloud-covered mountain peak seemed like an immortal.
After briefly introducing his residence, Master Yunheo asked Mu-jin,
“Do you know why I called you here separately?”
“I do not know exactly.”
He couldn’t have been called just because he defeated Grandmaster Qing Shui.
‘Is it because of Grandfather Hyun-gwang?’
As Mu-jin was thinking this, Master Yunheo provided the answer.
“It is because of a promise I made with that rascal Hyun-gwang.”
“…A promise?”
Since he had not heard anything from his grandfather, Mu-jin asked with a puzzled face.
“He asked me to take good care of you while you are here in Wudang.”
In truth, it was a matter of conscience even before the promise.
How could he neglect the grandson of a friend who had only five years left to live, borrowing him for a month?
‘If he had been just an ordinary child, I would have let the masters teach him, but since he has shown potential, I must teach him personally.’
Master Yunheo made this decision after watching the duel between Qing Shui and Mu-jin yesterday.
“However, it is not appropriate to teach the secrets of Wudang to someone who is not a disciple of Wudang. Therefore, the martial art I will teach you is Taiji Quan.”
“Taiji Quan…?”
Hearing Master Yunheo’s words, Mu-jin unknowingly asked again.
Taiji Quan was also taught during the martial arts exchange yesterday. Mu-jin understood its essence but felt it did not align with his direction, so he only grasped the principles.
‘There must be a reason, right?’
Surely, a master ranked among the top three in the world would not waste time teaching meaningless martial arts.
“I will do my best to learn.”
After organizing his thoughts, Mu-jin bowed and replied, and Master Yunheo laughed heartily and took the initial stance of Taiji Quan.
“It is better to experience it through sparring than just demonstrating it. Come at me.”
“I ask for your guidance.”
Taking the initial stance and paying respect, Mu-jin then dashed towards Master Yunheo, displaying the Fast Ascent Step from the start.
He did not expect to win due to the extreme difference in their levels. He just hoped to learn something by doing his best.
Indeed, Master Yunheo easily deflected Mu-jin’s Striking Bone Technique, even though Mu-jin mixed it with the Celestial Weight technique.
While deflecting Mu-jin’s fierce attacks, Master Yunheo spoke in a relaxed tone.
“Our Wudang martial arts are based on the principle of softness overcoming hardness, but to fully express this principle, the most important thing is not superior skills.”
Even as Master Yunheo spoke, Mu-jin continued to swing his Striking Bone Technique with full power, but the master easily deflected his attacks.
“To deflect something, the first thing needed is to observe the opponent. The first step is to read how the opponent’s body moves.”
As he spoke, Master Yunheo deflected Mu-jin’s left palm strike.
“The second step is to read the opponent’s qi.”
Master Yunheo gently dispersed the golden qi surrounding Mu-jin’s right kick.
“The third step is to read the opponent’s mind.”
Bang!
Before Mu-jin could fully extend his right fist, it was caught by Master Yunheo’s hand.
Mu-jin tried to swing his fist, but as Yunheo Zhenren’s left hand traced a Taiji circle while holding Mu-jin’s hand, Mu-jin’s body involuntarily followed.
“If you can read the opponent’s body, qi, and mind, you’ll be able to counterattack before the opponent even moves.”
Saying this, Yunheo Zhenren released Mu-jin’s arm, which had been bound by Taiji Quan.
“The final stage is to read the world itself. This is a level that even I have not completely achieved. Perhaps your grandfather could.”
After hearing this last lesson, Mu-jin, freed from Yunheo Zhenren’s Taiji Quan, bowed in respect.
“Thank you for your teaching.”
Mu-jin realized what Yunheo Zhenren was trying to teach. From the beginning, Taiji Quan was just a wrapping.
In essence, he was trying to teach the most important aspects of life-and-death battles and duels.
The first stage, reading the opponent’s movements, meant understanding the opponent’s next move through their muscle or joint movements or posture.
Mu-jin also frequently used this technique.
And strangely enough, he somewhat understood the third stage, reading the mind.
‘You can grasp the opponent’s habits and even lead them to make specific moves through psychological warfare.’
However, the second stage, reading ‘qi,’ was the biggest revelation for Mu-jin.
It meant that one could predict the next move by reading not just the body movements but also the flow of internal energy the opponent used.
The last stage, reading the world itself, sounded too abstract to understand.
But even the first three stages alone were significant teachings.
* * *
After Mu-jin and Qing Shui left Yunheo Zhenren after receiving his teachings at Jade Maiden Peak.
At Jade Maiden Peak, Wudang’s leader, Yun-song Zhenren, arrived.
“Master Yunheo. Even if Mu-jin’s treatment and wrist strengthening techniques are truly effective, is there a need for you to personally teach that disciple?”
Wudang had indeed received a favor from Mu-jin, but Yunheo Zhenren teaching Mu-jin was separate from that favor.
Yunheo Zhenren had taken Mu-jin without any prior discussion.
Of course, this was also due to his promise with Hyun-gwang.
“I decided to teach Mu-jin for the future of Wudang, Senior Brother.”
Yunheo Zhenren had another reason.
“Why is teaching a Shaolin disciple beneficial for Wudang’s future, Yunheo?”
Yunheo Zhenren closed and opened his eyes, speaking with a somewhat troubled voice.
“As you know, our time as the Yunja generation is almost over. In five to ten years, we will pass Wudang to the first-generation disciples and live in harmony with nature.”
Yunheo Zhenren’s words did not merely imply retirement from the martial world.
A person’s physical capabilities peak in their twenties and generally start to decline in their thirties.
However, martial arts are extremely complex, and it is difficult to achieve significant internal energy at a young age.
Therefore, the period when most martial artists reach their peak ability is usually around their thirties or forties.
In their forties, assuming they have consistently trained, their bodies are still capable. Additionally, this is when they are filled with knowledge about internal energy and martial arts, and they have ample experience.
But from their fifties onwards, a prolonged tug-of-war begins.
While their understanding of martial arts and internal energy increases, their physical abilities rapidly decline.
When the decline of their physical capabilities surpasses the growth in their internal energy and understanding of martial arts, their overall ability declines rapidly.
Thus, in most prestigious sects, the ones symbolizing martial power are usually the first-generation disciples. Elders or sect leaders, in reality, are more like former masters than current ones.
This excludes those who have reached extraordinary heights, such as Hyun-gwang, the Three Swords of the World, or the Seven Kings.
“And I too, in about ten years, will no longer be known as one of the Three Swords of the World.”
At over seventy years old, Yunheo Zhenren was at a stage where he relied solely on his internal energy to move his body while using martial arts.
“On the other hand, the leader of the Demonic Alliance will still be in his prime ten years from now.”
Unlike Yunheo Zhenren or Namgung Sword Emperor, Hyeok Jin-gang, the Heavenly Sword Emperor, was still middle-aged. Even in ten years, he would be younger than Yunheo Zhenren was now.
“Moreover, it has already been thirty-six years since the Demonic Cult invaded the Central Plains. The next generation might see their ambitions rise again.”
Some might think it would be better to eliminate the Demonic Cult and other heretical sects now, while they still have the strength, but a war between the righteous and demonic factions would spill too much blood across the continent.
‘If we move first, Wudang might end up bearing all the blame.’
Both Yunheo Zhenren and Yun-song Zhenren were aware that some of the prestigious sects and powerful families valued their own privileges over the peace of the martial world.
Hence, what was necessary was to build strength. To achieve peace, they understood the paradox that one needed a strength so formidable that no one would dare to provoke them.
“So, do you intend to borrow Mu-jin’s strength to prevent future dangers?”
Yun-song Zhenren asked, and Yunheo Zhenren shook his head.
“Today, I trained not only Mu-jin but also Qing Shui. Do you know why?”
“…Are you saying that training with Mu-jin greatly benefits Qing Shui?”
“Exactly. Qing Shui possesses extraordinary talent, but in his heart, there is only the ‘sword.’ While this has allowed him to grow rapidly, he will eventually hit a limit.”
This was a judgment that only Yunheo Zhenren, who had reached great heights, could make.
“If he does not see the vast world and remains obsessed with his own sword, how can he encompass the world within his sword?”
Yunheo Zhenren intended to teach both Mu-jin and Qing Shui. Qing Shui, being deeply engrossed in the magic of the sword, often became intoxicated with his own sword during training or dueling.
Thus, Yunheo Zhenren imparted the lesson that one must observe their opponent. He also hoped Qing Shui would see the world.
Since Qing Shui had developed a significant interest in Mu-jin after being defeated by him, this was a deliberate decision.
Even this morning, Qing Shui had gone to the Shaolin pavilion to learn something from Mu-jin.
‘Although it saddens me to see my old rivalry with that rascal replayed, this is the best for Qing Shui’s growth.’
Yunheo Zhenren felt that Qing Shui might spend his whole life in Mu-jin’s shadow, but he shook his head, dispelling such negative thoughts.
* * *
Meanwhile, at that time,
Qing Shui, who had descended from Jade Maiden Peak, was focusing on his training in the training ground used by Wudang disciples.
‘How does Mu-jin know all these things?’
He had learned various knowledge from Mu-jin, including ways to build muscle strength.
For example, he learned that muscles grow stronger after getting injured and healing. Therefore, it was important to divide training by muscle groups on different days or take complete rest days during full-body workouts. Mu-jin also stressed the importance of diet, suggesting he eat plenty of beans and mushrooms since they couldn’t eat meat.
Additionally, he learned exercises beneficial to Wudang martial arts, like the Close-Range Spear Technique.
Thus, Qing Shui was currently practicing some bodyweight exercises and the Close-Range Spear Technique he had learned from Mu-jin.
Seeing Qing Shui practice, some Wudang disciples approached him.
“Senior Brother Qing Shui, what is that exercise you are doing?”
“Could we also learn it?”
Without Yunheo Zhenren and Yun-song Zhenren knowing, the Wudang disciples were becoming influenced by Mu-jin.
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