Chapter 32: Chapter 32

“White Lotus Sect? What does that even mean?”

White Lotus Sect is a religious sect that has been passed down since the Southern Song Dynasty. To be honest, I was never particularly interested or knowledgeable in the matter.

Other miscellaneous circumstances seemed to be present, but at the moment, what concerned me most was White Lotus Sect’s position within the martial world, known as “Murim”. Despite having almost lost its religious standing, White Lotus Sect held a different reputation in the Murim world.

A top contender for the strongest in Murim!

Currently, White Lotus Sect was categorized as a neutral force in Murim. To be more precise, because they rarely interfered in the affairs of Murim and were indifferent, it was difficult to categorize them as good or evil. Nevertheless, it was widely known in the martial community that the martial arts of White Lotus Sect were incredibly powerful.

Since the time of Emperor Hongwu, there had been attempts to suppress White Lotus Sect, but due to the formidable nature of its leader and members, those attempts had been futile. White Lotus Sect, unlike the publicly known sects and groups, was regarded as the hidden strongest force.

‘Damn it… What misunderstanding is this?’

As I thought up to that point, I understood the intention behind Azure Dragon Martial Hall’s headmaster, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang’s words.

‘So he thinks it’s plausible for someone as young as me to be a master if I’m from White Lotus Sect?’

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang had made the most logical inference within his knowledge. It was confirmed in his subsequent words.

“If you are from White Lotus Sect, you cannot be accepted into our martial hall.”

“I am not from White Lotus Sect,” I hastily replied.

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang’s expression didn’t change. He looked at me indifferently, which somehow sucked me into his gaze.

“If you are not a user of White Lotus Sect’s Sacred Lotus, then no one at your age could possibly have reached such a level of internal energy.”

“Sacred Lotus? What is that?”

“You’re feigning ignorance.”

—Swish

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang grabbed the spear next to him. At that moment, my whole body screamed danger, feeling as if a line was drawn from the top of my head to my groin, tingling with an illusory sensation of being cut in two. I hurriedly retreated three steps.

Thud

However, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang hadn’t moved, still holding his spear. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I gulped nervously.

‘W-What was that just now? Killing intent? But it felt too…’

Real!

I felt as if I had actually been sliced in two just now. But realizing I was still alive, I dismissed the thought.

It was too much to consider it merely as killing intent.

Then Threefold Expert Lee Gwang stroked his fine beard and said, “It seems you’re not a mere protector of the faith who has consumed the Sacred Lotus. You managed to perceive the extent of my formless energy.”

“Formless energy?”

“It’s the unity of one’s self with their weapon, understanding not just the weapon but its very essence. Once you achieve this, you can wield formless energy.”

Although Threefold Expert Lee Gwang explained it kindly, the chilly indifference and cold air behind his tone made my teeth chatter. I had an intuition that if he swung that spear, I would be obliterated instantly.

‘This is beyond my understanding… It’s fundamentally different from Sword Qi or Sword Flame!’

I was going to die at this rate.

He had completely judged me as a member of White Lotus Sect, and he showed no guilt for considering killing a child.

I clenched my teeth and shouted, “Wait! I am truly not from White Lotus Sect. I can prove it!!”

“Prove it? How do you plan to do that?”

“Well…”

At that moment, I was at a loss for words.

How could I possibly persuade Master Lee Gwang, Master of Three Weapons?

If I were to employ techniques like “Eight-style Thunder Spirit Technique,” “Silent Thunder Sword Technique,” or “Lightning Shadow Step,” Master Lee Gwang would think I was leaking his martial secrets. When I started pondering this daunting, real-world obstacle, a shiver ran down my spine.

However, the reason I came to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall was because I was willing to take this risk.

I have no choice but to muster the courage, even if I die here!

“… You’ll understand when you see my martial arts demonstration.”

At this point, I don’t even know. Let’s try to persuade him as best as I can.

“A martial arts demonstration, you say?”

“This place is too small. Let’s go outside.”

Without waiting for his response, I flung open the doors of the Reclining Dragon Hall and leapt down to the spacious martial arts training ground. This was a place where masters and advanced students usually demonstrated their progress to Master Lee Gwang.

Swish

I then took out a spear that had been propped up in the training ground and stood in the center. Master Lee Gwang stood by the doors of the Reclining Dragon Hall, watching me with interest.

‘Watch closely.’

I focused my mind. Remembering the times when I had honed my skills under the guidance of the Taoist Hyuncheon, I slowly, but deliberately began to execute the “Eight-style Thunder Spirit Technique”. Though I specialize in sword techniques, the ultimate spear technique, Eight-style Thunder Spirit Technique, had always been an object of admiration.

Swish, swish, swish!

From “Thunder Spirit Piercing Heaven” to “Thunder Spirit Lone Turn”, the eight basic forms were executed in rapid succession. While performing them, I snuck a glance at Master Lee Gwang. His expression remained unchanged.

So, I returned the spear and drew my sword to execute the Silent Thunder Sword Technique at an even faster pace. This was my specialty, so I could move with greater confidence. About halfway through, I felt a slight change in Master Lee Gwang’s expression.

Rumble

Finally, as I scattered the “Thunder Cloud Palm Technique” techniques in succession, a surge of “Thunder-qi” vibrated across the training ground. My movements came to a close with the final Qi technique.

It was a demonstration that displayed all I had to offer!

“……”

A heavy silence ensued. In this space, there was only Master Lee Gwang and me. Master Lee Gwang crossed his arms, seemingly lost in thought, yet vulnerable. But the invisible pressure emanating from him made it impossible for me to make any rash moves.

After about a minute, Master Lee Gwang finally spoke.

“Who are you?”

His voice was no longer calm and dignified. It was charged with considerable anger and gloom. As expected, an ordinary person would have paled, expecting him to lash out like a madman. Especially when that person is Master Lee Gwang, you’d think you could die right here.

I calmly replied, “As you can see, I am at least not from the White Lotus Sect.”

“It seems so. Consuming the Sacred Lotus does not grant one the achievement of ‘Thunder Spirit’.'”

Master Lee Gwang spoke as if spitting out the words, then seemed to suppress his emotions. He turned and sent me a message abruptly.

[If you have the confidence to speak not even an inch of falsehood, then follow me.]

The words seemed to carry more weight than a simple invitation. I slightly nodded my head and followed him back into the building. Keeping about a yard of distance, I followed Master Lee Gwang and realized something.

Master Lee Gwang is different.

He is fundamentally different from all the peak masters I have seen until now.

Of course, it’s regrettable that I can’t understand what that difference is at my current level.

Thud…

Lee Gwang led me to a room different from the one I had seen earlier. As he opened the door, I found a barren, dark room. Seemingly warming the room for the first time in ages, Lee Gwang placed some firewood in the fireplace, then gestured for me to sit on a chair.

“Sit there.”

For a moment, I wondered if this was some kind of trick on his part, but I pushed aside my hesitation and sat down.

‘The gap in our skills is just too great.’

The difference in levels between Lee Gwang and me was greater than I had thought. Although I can’t say for certain, it felt as if the gap was much greater than when I had fought against the elder of Iron Blood Gate. If I were to fight against a fully committed Lee Gwang, there would be no chance of survival; thus, any trickery seemed pointless. From my subordinate perspective, it didn’t seem like Lee Gwang would bother with petty schemes.

Crackle…

The flames in the fireplace started to flicker, gradually warming up the room. Lee Gwang, sitting across from me, rested his chin on his hand and stared at me before speaking.

“Explain in detail. Where did you learn the ‘Thunder God Style’ technique?”

What?

I was taken aback by the sudden name he mentioned. I had thought Lee Gwang would be furious for learning his secret martial arts technique, but instead, he mentioned “Thunder God Style,” a name I had never heard before.

‘Could it be that this is not an original martial art by Threefold Expert Lee Gwang? Was it something derived from a separate faction called Thunder God Style?’

Or perhaps Threefold Expert Lee Gwang named his own martial art “Thunder God Style.” After some contemplation, I answered.

“The person who passed this martial art onto me has already passed away. They instructed me to find Threefold Expert Lee Gwang, so I came.”

“He died? Why?”

“He fell ill.”

I took a risk. Telling Lee Gwang the whole truth about my reincarnation seemed far too risky. Even if I were to die here and now from being caught lying, I had planned to bluff my way through it.

“What was that person’s name?”

It worked!

So, as I suspected, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang’s martial art wasn’t an original creation but was derived from Thunder God Style. Though elated, I remained calm and replied,

“They never told me the full details.”

“I see.”

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang muttered bitterly.

“So how did you achieve your internal energy?”

“After my master passed, I wandered the world and was fortunate enough to consume a Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng in Huangshan.”

“Show me your wrist.”

Swoosh

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang grabbed my wrist and took my pulse. He closed his eyes as if sensing the frenzied internal energy inside me, and then finally opened them after a while. He spoke.

“It seems true. You have extreme cold Yin energy circulating within you. But what is this Yin balanced by Yang energy?”

“Actually, there was another elixir next to it, which I took at the same time, allowing me to survive.”

“I see.”

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang sat quietly for a moment before saying,

“Your master must have been one of the inheritors of Thunder God Style. Unfortunately, it seems he couldn’t achieve Thunder Dragon’s form and died of an illness.”

“…”

“In that case, you and I are of the same school, or fellow disciples. If you are willing to serve me as your new master, perform the nine-bows ceremony right here.”

Nine-bows ceremony!

I was taken aback by Threefold Expert Lee Gwang’s words. At first glance, it seemed like a common ritual of accepting a disciple from the same school, but it was not. This Azure Dragon Martial Hall never forced any disciple to perform the bowing ceremony. Even the masters did not bow to Threefold Expert Lee Gwang. I had only heard that Jin So-cheong formally performed the bowing ceremony.

In other words, the bowing ceremony is not simply symbolic. Unlike other disciples accepted for the sake of making money, it means choosing a true successor to impart one’s genuine martial arts techniques. There could be no other reason for Jin So-cheong to perform the bow.

Naturally, I did not hesitate to perform the bowing ceremony. After the ninth bow, Lee Gwang spoke.

“Rise. From now on, I am your master, and I will finish passing down the ‘Thunder God Style’.”

“Yes.”

He did not seem to doubt me at all. After all, the one who had received the genuine martial arts techniques from Lee Gwang like a son was Jin So-cheong, and that Jin So-cheong had practically secluded himself to teach me for three years. If there was a separate Thunder God Style faction, there was no reason for him to doubt me.

“Baek Woong, you may have already heard from your master, but Thunder God Style is a ‘multi-person lineage’, and a ‘shaking the heavens’ martial arts schools. You have high potential; train diligently so you can witness the peak of Thunder God Style.”

“I understand.”

‘Multi-person lineage’ and ‘Shaking the heavens’ martial arts? I had never heard of this before, but I couldn’t ask what it meant. It’s a given to pass down the history of the school even if martial techniques aren’t passed down. If I didn’t know that, I could be suspected.

However, I quickly reconsidered and took another gamble.

“Um… I’m not very sharp, so I don’t remember the history of our school well. Could you tell me again?”

“Hmm… well, you are young, so it’s understandable.”

Since I appear to be in my early to mid-teens, I had no choice but to get by by saying I was young and didn’t remember well. When I showed interest in the history of our martial arts school instead of asking about martial techniques, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang seemed willing to explain.

“How much have you heard about the ‘White Lotus Sect’?”

“My master never really mentioned White Lotus Sect. In fact, I’m hearing about it for the first time today.”

“Is that so? He must have been a man who didn’t concern himself with grudges against White Lotus Sect.”

“Grudges?”

Upon hearing the subsequent words, I almost took a sharp breath.

“Yes, we, the Thunder God Style, were the protectors and martial arts school of White Lotus Sect but were purged and came to the Central Plains about half a century ago. We operate secretly in various places to avoid attracting attention in the martial world, but our roots are in White Lotus Sect.”

“……!!”

“Of course, I also heard this from my master, so I don’t have a direct grudge against them. However, you should always remember the history of them using and betraying the martial artists of Thunder God Style.”

Thunder God Style!

It was a martial arts school that had passed down the martial techniques of White Lotus Sect.

And due to internal strife within White Lotus Sect, they were forcibly expelled to the Central Plains. To survive, they didn’t form a new martial school but dispersed in all directions. I held back my astonishment and asked.

“Wouldn’t it have been better for Thunder God Style to come together and form a large martial school if they wanted revenge?”

“I’ve heard that the power of the White Lotus Sect Leader surpasses imagination. The previous inheritors probably wanted nothing more than to quietly cultivate their martial arts and seclude themselves from the martial world rather than trying to strike a rock with an egg.”

Come to think of it, the present Taoist Hyuncheon of Wudang Sect did mention the White Lotus Sect Leader. When he admired my internal energy, he said that only the White Lotus Sect Leader could surpass me. If my internal energy, cultivated through eating millennium ginseng multiple times, can be compared, I could guess how advanced the martial arts of the White Lotus Sect Leader are.

“How powerful is the White Lotus Sect Leader?”

“The White Lotus Sect Leader has been Absolute Peerless for the past 200 years. Though the title is passed down through generations, every one of its sect leaders has always overwhelmed the top masters of the orthodox sects in the Central Plains. Essentially, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the White Lotus Sect has the strongest martial arts in the world.”

“Gasp…”

Is that how great they are? No wonder the Taoist Hyuncheon keeps talking about the White Lotus Sect Leader!

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang spoke with his characteristic indifferent expression.

“I deeply ponder the grudges of my ancestors. If I was sure you were a disciple of the White Lotus Sect, I would have killed you right there and then.”

“What do you mean when you say I have reached ‘Thunder Dragon’?”

“Once your Thunder Dragon Breath Technique reaches its limit, you gain resistance to all diseases, your lifespan increases, and your body becomes full of thunder-qi. This state is called ‘Thunder Dragon’,’ and you’ve probably achieved it by consuming millennium ginseng.”

“Ah…”

So, the phenomenon where thunder-qi continuously sparks and discharges after learning the Thunder Dragon Breath Technique was ‘Thunder Dragon.’

“Though one can gain advanced inner energy by eating the White Lotus Sect’s Spirit Lotus, achieving Thunder Dragon through the Thunder Dragon Breath Technique is impossible. That’s why I could trust you.”

The Spirit Lotus seemed to be some kind of elixir distributed by the White Lotus Sect. While I was trying to remember new information, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang wore a strange expression.

“However, there’s another flow of energy within you apart from the Thunder Dragon Breath Technique. What is it?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

There’s no point in lying at this stage. I answered honestly.

“It’s the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique.”

“Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique! One of the Five Great Divine Techniques of the Wudang Sect?”

“Yes. Although it was initially a mere form of exotic taoist techniques, I was able to learn it during my journey through a chance encounter with a master of the Wudang Sect.”

I never lied.

“Hmm… You could have become a true disciple of the Wudang Sect, considering you have Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique, yet you came to find me?”

“Yes, you were my first choice, Master.”

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang seemed somewhat pleased. Even if the Azure Dragon Martial Hall was large and prosperous, it couldn’t compare to the Wudang Sect, which boasts the greatest reputation among the Nine Great Schools. Given that I had forsaken the chance to become a disciple of an elder of the Wudang Sect and came to him, he probably felt quite proud.

“Good. From today, you are my direct disciple. Accept Jin So-cheong as your senior in the direct lineage. Considering your abilities, I’ll give you the rank of Instructor first. For the time being, learn directly from me.”

“Understood.”

I was elated that things had worked out so smoothly.

I’ve somehow become a direct disciple of Threefold Expert Lee Gwang!

… Well, if only I hadn’t been so set on revenge during my second death.

Due to my unnecessary actions at that time, I had lost the opportunity to deeply learn the martial arts of Azure Dragon Martial Hall. Once I went through all sorts of hardships and finally returned to Azure Dragon Martial Hall, I couldn’t help but regret my previous behavior.

As the conversation roughly came to a close, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang told me various stories about White Lotus Sect, and Thunder God Style. Meanwhile, I was able to gain substantial knowledge about White Lotus Sect.

White Lotus Sect was originally a legitimized religion, and had played a primary role in establishing the Great Ming. Emperor Hongwu had also once been initiated into White Lotus Sect. However, after founding the empire, Emperor Hongwu began to subtly oppress White Lotus Sect. He didn’t directly kill its followers, but whenever they tried to expand, he would find all sorts of excuses to arrest or corner them.

Ultimately, White Lotus Sect had no choice but to become a secret society and was driven to the southern part of the continent. This area, teeming with minority ethnic groups, was beyond the reach of the royal influence. There was also unconfirmed rumors that White Lotus Sect had absorbed the descendants of Jin Woo-ryang1, who had been Emperor Hongwu’s arch-enemy.

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang said,

“Come to think of it, So-cheong said he was going to meet a friend.”

I almost chuckled. The stern and emotionless Threefold Expert Lee Gwang was referring to Jin So-cheong in such an affectionate manner! It must mean that their teacher-student relationship was closer compared to others in Azure Dragon Martial Hall. It seemed like Threefold Expert Lee Gwang would look after Jin So-cheong, even if it meant forsaking all other disciples.

“I’d like to meet Master So-cheong myself.”

“Is that so?”

After a moment of contemplation, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang said,

“Then bring him here. He should be with Soaring Sky Sword Dragon by now.”

“What?”

“I apologize for stealing your personal time, but introducing you to the new Thunder God Style is more important.”

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang might have misunderstood my reaction, but that’s not what shocked me.

He is with Soaring Sky Sword Dragon!

That is to say, the friend of Master Jin So-cheong was none other than Soaring Sky Sword Dragon Namgung Hwan.

Come to think of it, Namgung Hwan also said he came to Gwanjung with his fiancée to meet someone. Could it possibly mean this?

Anyway, this was an opportunity to meet the Soaring Sky Sword Dragon face to face. My eyes sparkled.

“Yes, I will definitely bring Instructor So-cheong.”

“By now, they should be at the Jo Clan, among the Gwanjung’s Six Powers.”

The term “Gwanjung Six Powers” refers to the six most influential merchant houses, art houses, and martial house in the entire Gwanjung area. Among them, the Jo family operates a marketplace with outstanding financial capabilities.

“Is it not a guest house or an inn?”

“I don’t know either. The last place So-cheong was seen was there, so go and come back.”

“Yes.”

Swoosh!

I left Azure Dragon Martial Hall and dashed as if I were flying, using my lightness skills. It seemed that Threefold Expert Lee Gwang must have guessed my abilities, so he trusted me to summon Jin So-cheong without any issues. I thought while leaping across rooftops.

‘Good, very good.’

By the way, I could see Soaring Sky Sword Dragon Namgung Hwan and his fiancée, Moyong Yeon! A smile naturally formed on my lips at the thought that today was a lucky day. Until now, I had thought that this errand was simple.

Originally called Chen Youliang, he was was a historical figure from China, particularly notable during the period of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. He was the founder and first emperor of the Dazhou Kingdom, one of the rival states opposing the Ming Dynasty.[↩]