2
8
0. From the day after
Iron rings were worn on both hands and feet, and a steel plate was inserted into the bottom row of the vest.
With every step, sweat pours down to the point where it is hard to believe it is the middle of winter, and I feel hungry as soon as I turn around after eating.
After training and going on a crazy march while the sun is up, while preparing to sleep outdoors, he once again engages in sparring matches with Jin So-un one after another.
“Geumpyo, you rascal! Your waist! Your waist is weak! To use a shield, you need solid support from a pillar. You need to start training your lower body again!”
“Twin Heaven Sword Technique?? Since when did this Eunho start acting like a master? Do you think having a lot of numbers is everything?”
“Dong-ryong! You rascal! Even so, shouldn’t you at least take some defenses! Or at least eliminate any opening for attack altogether!”
“Ryeonmae! What on earth have you been doing coming to the academy half a year early! Can’t you hold your sword properly?”
After going around in a duel like that, your appetite drops completely, making your hungry stomach feel meaningless.
Unlike themselves.
“Why aren’t you eating it? It’s so delicious because I put a lot of jerky in it.”
Watching my senior brother eat porridge while blowing on it to cool it down because it was so hot, I couldn’t help but sigh. ‘What on earth did he stuff his face with to become so strong?’ ‘Surely, just a few years ago, the gap in skill wasn’t this big.’ ‘Besides, he didn’t even have time to train because he was running around here and there.’ ‘It’s so hard…’ I told myself I had to eat to survive, so I forced myself to take a few spoonfuls, but my shocked stomach sent the food back out.
After throwing up like that, I felt like I would never be able to eat again.
“Still, you’d better eat. If you want to get through tomorrow, you’d better shove it in even if you don’t want to.”
Senior Brother, giggling as he eats meat porridge, wondering what is so amusing.
As he said, the aftereffects of not having eaten a proper meal the day before manifested the next day.
“Gasp, gasp, M-kill me!”
“Do you really want me to kill you?”
“……
Damn it… … .”
When he collapses, saying he can’t do it anymore, a terrifying murderous aura pours out along with the beating.
When the heart, startled by the thought of life, pounded violently, the body was bound to move on its own, no matter how much one disliked it.
As this happened repeatedly, the disciples of Taeeulmun felt as though they should really run away and live in seclusion in a mountain valley.
“I’d rather drink the Sichuan Tang Clan’s poison than stay with Senior Brother…….”
“Sister… you mustn’t lose your mind… Ugh.”
“Huh? You’re talking? Looks like you still have plenty of energy left. Increase the weight!”
“…….”
Training is good and getting stronger is all well and good, but shouldn’t we at least try to survive first?
Moreover, the intensity of the training is getting stronger day by day.
Unable to bear it any longer, Eunho became indignant.
“Senior Brother, but why do you keep going the mountain path?”
My head was already about to explode from memorizing the 365 footprints of the Heavenly Solitary God, but that damned senior brother kept leading the party down the mountain path.
“Do you intend to use the Divine Technique only on the road? If so, why bother practicing it when you could just ride a horse?”
Upon hearing the answer, Eunho was so dumbfounded that he was speechless.
No, isn’t that something to think about after you’ve properly mastered it first?
How is this any different from telling a child who has just started standing to learn footwork?
Seriously, what kind of person is that?
The senior brother’s subsequent words were even more absurd.
“Why bother practicing separately? If you practice on the mountain path from the start, there is no need to practice on the pipeline.”
They say that when a person hears something really absurd, they are left speechless.
Just as Eunho let out a hollow laugh, having lost even the will to respond to the words of his senior brother, who was an extreme efficiency fanatic.
“huh?”
Jin So-un turned his head to one side.
Eunho asked anxiously.
“Why, why are you doing this?”
“A fight! Looks like a fight broke out!”
“yes?”
Senior Brother, his cheeks flushed like a child who had found a toy.
“I hear the sound of weapons!”… …
Seriously, what is up with this guy?
“Uh… um, is that so?”
Hearing the sound of weapons in the mountains suggests that they are likely people attempting to suppress a band of bandits.
Or maybe they are fighting because a dispute broke out between the sects.
Either way, it has nothing to do with the group… … .
“Get up! Let’s go!”
“Uh, where?”
A fight in the mountains like this is most likely against a band of bandits. I should go check it out.
So why are you going there to fight a band of bandits?
“Let’s go! Let’s go!!”
However, there was no one who could stop the Senior Brother, who had started running wild like a foal with its tail on fire.
“ha…….”
“What a fate…”
“Should I really run away?”
“I’d rather eat poison, hmph.”
With their shoulders slumped, the four people began to chase after Jin So-un.
Why aren’t you coming quickly!
Yes.
The road to my hometown was truly terribly colorful. #When the autumn harvest is over and farmers, having accumulated grain and property, begin to survive the winter with the year’s farming, bandits swarm in, targeting their pockets.
Among the black bandits, there were many who temporarily disguised themselves as bandits only during the winter, and the government even established a separate unit to stop them.
Unlike the Green Forest Bandits, they were unconditionally targeted for extermination because they acted for the purpose of plunder.
Although government troops strive to suppress them every year, there are limits, and since there are numerous bandit groups that persist by colluding with corrupt officials, good deeds
Martial arts schools that carry out this often suppress bandit gangs.
“Amitabha Buddha…….”
Like the five monks currently standing against a band of over a hundred bandits.
Ilgak, who was serving as the head of the household while wearing a yellow robe, gently extends his hand.
A golden radiance emanating from his palm rises like a cloud and envelops a band of twenty bandits in an instant.
“Huh?”
“What is this!”
“Ugh! I can’t get out, I can’t get out……!”
The bodies of the bandits, who had been unable to move an inch as if tied by a rope, rose simultaneously and flew close to this place.
thud.
Those who suddenly tumbled to the floor and dropped their weapons were left dumbfounded.
Although a tremendous and powerful energy clearly enveloped them, no one was actually harmed by it.
It was simply that the weapon was dropped because it was not a move of one’s own free will.
This also meant that the opponent did not put killing intent into their attack.
Gulp.
In other words, it means that if you were filled with murderous intent, no one would be standing here unscathed.
“I do not wish for meaningless slaughter. Please lay down your weapons.”
The bandits who had withstood his technique at his words were paralyzed as if struck by a demonic pressure point.
However, seeing the example of a colleague, I used it as a lesson for others.
If he had been someone who knew how to use [his name], there would have been no need to divide [his name] into bandits.
Other bandits, unaware of the true intention behind the move made by the corner, fearlessly rushed at the Shaolin monks.
“Die! You damned monks!”
“I will grant you rebirth in paradise!”
“You idiot, there are only five opponents! Why are you scared!”
The bandits, trusting in their numerical superiority, rush in all at once.
Il-gak closed his half-closed eyes for a moment and then opened them, speaking.
Do not use excessive force. They are people who deserve to be punished under the law.
“four!”
The four people standing behind the corner move at the same time.
Some use fists and kicks, others palm techniques, another picks up a twig to use staff techniques, and the remaining person deals with the band of bandits using hand techniques.
The bandits naturally fall down one by one as they move like flowing water.
The scene looks as if the Shaolin monks are demonstrating martial arts, and the bandits are falling down as if acting in sync with them.
Of course, the disciples of Taeeulmun who were watching this scene from the peak knew very well that such a thing could absolutely not be true.
Is this what you mean by the difference in level?
This is, after all, the true power of Shaolin.
It demonstrated that the martial arts used in actual combat had reached a level indistinguishable from those used during training.
“What is this…….”
All martial artists are well aware of the significant gap between the principles of training techniques and their application in actual combat.
That is why some sects aim for practical combat, while others even create separate martial arts for actual combat.
In that sense, while Shaolin martial arts have a significant gap that prevents them from being directly applied in actual combat, it also implied that the Shaolin disciples had reached a level high enough to sufficiently bridge that gap.
“A moment…….”
If I had to pick the most outstanding one among them, it would be Ilgak.
He subdues the bandits with only the simplest movements.
As he shook his hands and feet, the bandits fell one by one, and they did not suffer excessive injuries as he had initially said.
Would they be able to do that in that situation?
The question that commonly came to mind among the Taeeulmun disciples.
The answer came all too easily. ‘It is impossible.’ It is several times harder to subdue an opponent without injuring them than to kill them.
Moreover, the opponent is a killer.
A situation where they attack with their own will.
It would be absolutely impossible unless it were the difference between a newborn baby and an adult.
However, some were acting with far too much composure.
I had temporarily forgotten his true worth because I was usually only bullied and teased by Jin So-un, but seeing his divine power again gave me goosebumps.
Just as the disciples of Taeeulmun were standing there in a daze.
“Damn it…….”
Swearing growling, like chewing, was heard.
When Eun-ho turned his head, Jin So-un was wearing a resentful expression. ‘Does the Senior Brother feel jealousy, too?’ It was the first time in a long while that he had seen a human side of the Senior Brother.
He had once won a confrontation against a corner.
The shock at that time was tremendous.
It was unexpected and caused quite a stir in the area.
But seeing Senior Brother, who seems to have already forgotten the match from back then and feels overwhelmed by the vast gap in skill level with Ilgak, my nose stings for no reason…
“To think that rogue monk beat me to it! Wait, why is he here when he’s supposed to be heading to Hanam?”
Huh? Did I hear that wrong…
“Damn it, those damn monks are going to hand over all the bandits to the government troops…… Then the treasures…… Argh! I’m going to die of regret, damn it.”
Ah, weren’t you feeling resentment at the opponent’s level?
For some reason, Eunho’s face turned colorless.
Jin So-un, who had been cursing for a while, turns his head.
“Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“That look like there’s no soul in your eyes.”
“That can’t be…”
As if he didn’t care whether there was a soul in his eyes in the first place, the senior disciple snaps his body around again.
“Oh my stomach. If only I had come just a little earlier, all that treasure would have been…”
Right… so this is the kind of person he was…
“however…….”
Eunho, who was about to blurt out a question that suddenly crossed his mind, clamped his mouth shut once again.
“no.”
“How bland. Anyway, how much is all of that…?”
Eunho swallowed the question that had just crossed his mind. ‘If the Senior Brother robs a band of bandits, wouldn’t that be disrespectful to his fellow warriors?’ After all, he undeniably possessed a solid mountain stronghold called the Black Dragon Fortress.
Ah, the position of Black Dragon Gang leader suits him better than the Academic Hall representative…
“Aargh! As soon as the semester starts, I’m going to put twelve more holes in that monk’s scalp. Just you wait.”
Of course, he himself absolutely detests that fact, but…# The monks of Shaolin Temple, including Ilgak, subdued the band of bandits and briefly exchanged greetings with the disciples of Taeeulmun.
Of course, in the midst of this, Jin So-un suggested that instead of sending the wealth to the government, they should distribute it to the people, but some lightly dismissed it.
This led to a brief argument, but it was soon resolved amicably.
“Then I will see you next semester, Benefactor Jin. Namo Amitabha…….”
Anyway, they are the only ones who are clean.
“Senior Brother…….”
After somehow exchanging greetings and parting ways with the Shaolin disciples who insisted that they must continue their spiritual practice.
There were no disciples of Taeeulmun who went to sleep late into the night.
They are originally warriors.
The lingering image of the Shaolin Temple I had seen in broad daylight would not leave my mind.
And at times like this, when priests are consumed by anguish, the one who should customarily offer advice is… … .
“Munch munch! Why are you all eating so half-heartedly?”
They were enjoying a dinner tastier than ever, made with meat taken from the bandits’ storehouse instead of treasure.
In the end, it was Saren who spoke first.
“Isn’t the death penalty surprising?”
“what?”
The true power of Shaolin.
Jin So-un, who was licking the oil off his fingers, lets out a smirk.
“I thought it was something else. Why is that surprising?”
It’s just that I got the feeling that Shaolin is Shaolin…
I couldn’t say exactly what it was.
However, the dignity emanating from their every movement shows that their lives have not been easy.
It is not just the difference stemming from the level of training.
Their martial arts contain history.
A martial art that has reached its ultimate state through generations of development and transformation.
Even though I know they are not enemies, being a warrior, I instinctively gauge the situation.
If Shaolin were the enemy, could we really win?
Saryeon wanted to know the answer to the question that had popped into her head.
Can we defeat Shaolin with the martial arts of the Taeeul Sect?
“Munch munch. Didn’t I already show you I can win?”
Swallow all the food in your mouth and answer… … .
“Huh? You didn’t see it? I was really amazing.”
Anyway, I suppose you are referring to the incident where you broke a corner during the last practical exam.
“But that wasn’t Taeeulmun’s martial art…….”
What are you talking about?
“We know, too. That he received separate training from the Great Hero Bukwonpyeong of Samcheongmun…”
Jin So-un, looking at the sullen Sa-ryeon, broke off a piece of wood to make a toothpick and picked at his teeth.
I have no idea what on earth these guys are talking about. From the very beginning, the shape
and style
I only learned the parts. The energy itself was mine, you guys.
“yes?!”
“What the heck!”
Jin So-un scoffed at the priests’ reaction.
“Surely you haven’t skipped meals all this time worrying about that?”
“That’s one thing, but…”
Saryeon let out a deep sigh.
“I feel my limitations all over again. They say Shaolin has hundreds of martial arts techniques, including the Seventy-Two Ultimate Techniques, right? Mount Hua and Wudang also have at least over a hundred techniques. On the other hand, the Taeeulmun…”
For example, Geumpyo, who was holding a shield, could no longer freely unleash the Manhae Cheonji Sword Technique, and Dongryong mainly used only the Socheon Sword Technique when facing enemies.
While the absolute number of martial arts techniques does not correlate with the sect’s absolute military power, the limitations of these techniques place restrictions on the disciples’ ability to spread their wings.
Geumpyo, Eunho, and Dongryong all looked gloomy, as if agreeing with Saryeon’s words.
Compared to the days when we had nothing, it was a blessing to say, but the hearts of the children who wanted to climb as high as others were still filled with thirst.
however…….
“What are you guys talking about?”
The type of reaction that is absurd.
Overwhelmed by blessings, one does not know how to be grateful.
Think back to the old days.
I expected you to say the obvious things like that…
“They say you look for silver coins while failing to recognize the money in your hand… You guys are exactly like that.”
yes?”
The four people suddenly lifted their heads high.
Surely, “gold coins” refer to the martial arts of the Taeeul Sect, and “silver coins” refer to the martial arts of the Shaolin Sect… … .
No matter how strong your affection is for your own sect’s martial arts, isn’t comparing them to Shaolin a bit too much?
While the priests were dumbfounded.
“Tsk tsk, how foolish, how incredibly stupid… Oh my, Taeeul Sword Emperor! The descendants of the Four Ancestors are this foolish… Ah, of course, except for me.”
While Jin So-un was pounding his chest, whether out of lamentation or because he was choking up.
Eunho asked cautiously.
“Senior Brother…… If you happen to need just a little more explanation…….”
Let’s understand that together.
No, seeing how frustrated he looks like that, it really seems like there is something going on.
“Tsk tsk. Why is the Taeeul Jingyeong called the Taeeul Jingyeong?”
“Well… the name is….”
“I’m asking why the Master named it the Taeeul Jingyeong instead of the Taeeul Shingong.”
Oh dear, Taeeul Geomje-nim.
Jin So-un, who had been wailing again, suddenly changes his expression.
“Taeul refers to the origin from which all things in heaven and earth are born and formed. The Taeul Jingyeong is, from the very beginning, a study of the myriad phenomena of the universe.”
As the four people just blinked their eyes in confusion, Jin So-un added.
“Isn’t it strange? Compared to the divine power of Taeeul Geomje-nim passed down through oral tradition, the destructive power of the Taeeul Jingyeong is ridiculously weak.”
It is strange.
It is certainly a pure and stable energy, but compared to the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families, the speed at which internal energy accumulates is slow, and its characteristics are not particularly strong.
But the difference is too great to say that permission was involved as rumors spread by word of mouth.
Just then, Jin So-un casually tossed out a clue.
“The Taeeul Jingyeong is not a mental method in the first place. It is merely a study of Taeeul.”
“Then…… what we learned is.”
Jin So-un’s serious voice turns back into a wail.
“Oh my goodness, to think that my priests are fools who just lick the rind of a watermelon and claim they don’t know the taste.”
No, I mean, please tell me clearly.
In the study of the Taeeul Jingyeong, form from the very beginning
There is none. The martial arts left behind by the Taeeul Sword Emperor are merely those most similar to the studies of the Taeeul True Scripture.
“Where in the world is there a martial art without forms and techniques?”
Every martial arts school has an internal energy cultivation method based on it.
And when those two things blend exquisitely, immense power emerges.
So, how amazing is it? Even without form and ritual, this level of the Way
To think you can build it. The fact that there is no brother or sister in the first place is a blessing for you.
Jin So-un spoke passionately, but the four of them seemed completely unconvinced.
“Watch closely. This is what I have learned recently.”
After saying that, Jin So-un closed his eyes for a moment.
Just as I was about to wake Jin So-un up, wondering what he was suddenly doing while we were talking.
“……!”
I turned my head in surprise at the spine-chilling story.
Gasp!
“Gasp!”
Before the eyes of the four people, a Black Dragon Sword identical to Jin So-woon’s sword was targeting their lives.
Senior Brother clearly hadn’t even touched his sword…
When on earth was this sword drawn, and how is it floating alone in the air without a master?
The moment I was having that thought.
“uh?”
The Black Dragon Sword crumbled and vanished into dust.
Then, a groan is heard from Jin So-un.
“Ugh… As expected, it’s still a long way to go.”
The four people turned their heads like lightning and immediately examined the Black Dragon Sword placed neatly next to the eldest brother.
The Black Dragon Sword was clearly stuck quietly in its scabbard.
Eunho, shocked, shouted urgently.
“What was that just now?”
A study never heard of or seen before.
It is not as if Jin So-un has reached the level of Heart Sword or Sword Control, so what on earth is this miracle?
It is my own way of studying the Taeeul Jingyeong.
“My own way of studying?”
Jin So-un slowly nodded.
“Yes, this is the form of ‘me’ as I see it.”
“The reason I, a disciple of the Sword Sect, personally placed a shield in Geumpyo’s hand and remained silent even when Dongryong used the Middle Way is…”
Then he looks at the priests one by one.
It is because everyone has a different idea of themselves.
The four of them tried their best not to miss a single word from their senior brother.
As if pleased by the sight, a faint smile plays on Jin So-un’s lips.
“What is the Way of the Taeeulmun? Change
C. And the Taeeul Jingyeong is a study that will transform such ‘you’. Therefore, you [will change] into [what form]
You will have to think and think again about whether to do it.
If you raise your disciples in the same way tailored to yourself, you will reach the ranks of a master to some extent.
And with a lot of preparation, we could make it survive the hands of the Demonic Cult.
However, that is ultimately not carrying on the will of Taeeul Geomje.
It merely remains to sustain the name Taeeulmun.
Therefore, we must help each person build their own ‘Tae-eul’.
That is why we undergo such harsh winter training.
The priests, who had been lost in thought for a moment, cautiously ask.
Are you saying we ourselves?
“Yes. Forcing you to lead and train you is merely the foundation. However, if you wish to move forward, change yourselves.
You must do so. And the Taeeul Jingyeong is a study that will fully keep pace with your transformation. This is something I can neither help with nor interfere with.
Therefore, it continues according to the will of the founder.
Even if it takes a little longer, even if it is a little more sluggish, it is the right path.
Believing it to be the right path.
So, are you saying that if we go in the direction we want, that path will appear?
“okay.”
As Eunho realized anew that the Taeeul Jingyeong was a profound study, a question arose in his mind.
Since when has Senior Brother been walking that path?
Jin So-un smiled faintly without answering.
Come to think of it, that was the case.
Except during regular exams, the senior disciple never once told his disciples to “do this.”
I was always ahead, just occasionally turning around to wait.
Even during the days when they remained in the same place, blaming themselves because the pursuit was too burdensome, the Senior Brother was suppressing his frustration and waiting only for them to catch up.
Until they can realize it themselves.
I waited patiently, overcoming my frustration.
“capital punishment…….”
Tears well up in the eyes of the four people.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t understand the deeper meaning.”
I will never again complain about how hard the training is.
I won’t even think about running away.
I will add one more grater. Please roll it a bit more.
Jin So-un chuckled and held out the fully cooked meat.
“Alright, just hurry up and eat. You need to eat to do tomorrow’s training again.”
“yes.”
“yes!”
I’ll eat it even if I don’t want to!
Your priest would never have known.
This flamboyant speech(?)
“That I learned it from those Sojeongdae guys in my previous life.” “Hehe… As expected, youngsters are easy to handle.” Just as the four people, unaware of the Senior Brother’s dark(?) intentions, began to greedily eat the meat again.
Jin So-un said subtly.
But you thought about running away?
The four people froze in their tracks.
My mouth is full of food, but I can feel my mouth watering intensely.
For a moment, he had forgotten. How terrible his senior disciple was.
“You mean to say that instead of being grateful that I, your senior brother, am suffering like this, you were plotting to run away…?”
And what a petty person he is.
