Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Formatting

From the next day, I began to learn advanced applications and combat methods of the Thunder God Style one-on-one from Threefold Expert Lee Gwang. Although what I had learned so far was also Thunder God Style, according to Lee Gwang, when moving to an advanced stage, I would learn the secret techniques of Thunder God Style and understand new combat methods. I felt a tinge of pride thinking that I was finally on track.

“Unfold the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique again.”

“Yes.”

I stood in the morning training ground and took a mid-level stance, following Threefold Expert Lee Gwang’s instruction. It was an action I had performed a hundred thousand times until yesterday, so I naturally unfolded it without much thought. As the first move finished, he spoke with satisfaction.

“The excess has fallen away. Don’t you think it has become a bit faster?”

“Uh…”

I realized then that the breathing that used to stutter between moves was now seamless. Though I had performed it unconsciously, the sword speed (劍速) seemed to have definitely increased. As I stood there in surprise, Lee Gwang continued.

“Now, you have achieved the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique. It also means it’s time for you to learn advanced applications of the sword technique.”

“……!!”

“Your swordsmanship was only about collecting techniques, with clumsy use of internal energy and poor distribution of breath. Your high internal energy concealed these flaws, but to someone more skilled, it would have been riddled with weaknesses. However, you eliminated all unnecessary movements and vulnerabilities unconsciously in a state of selflessness, ingraining them into your body. That’s why you can move to the next stage.”

I understood Lee Gwang’s words.

Unnecessary movements and vulnerabilities! I had been continuously correcting my posture a hundred thousand times, ordered to unfold the sword moves quickly and accurately, eliminating superfluous consciousness, and thereby greatly enhancing my swordsmanship.

I looked down at my hands in amazement to see bruises like stamps, hardened. It was natural since I had swung them hard enough to catch fire. Threefold Expert Lee Gwang then asked.

“But I have something to ask.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“If you are a disciple of the Thunder God Style, you should know that the spear is much stronger. Why are you so fixated on swordsmanship? It would have been better if you had specialized in the spear.”

Lee Gwang’s words were not just regret. He genuinely believed that the martial arts of the spear were far stronger than the sword. Given his level of martial arts, his words were true. I pondered for a moment before answering.

“I wish to attain the ultimate in self-defense.”

“Self-defense, huh! Indeed…”

My words cleverly interpreted the theory of weapons he had explained before. According to him, the spear represented the pinnacle of combat skills, and the sword, the pinnacle of self-defense. I had turned it around, saying I was content with achieving the ultimate in self-defense.

Lee Gwang smiled faintly and said.

“Good. It’s not bad to have a martial artist like you. It might be good to have someone who walks a different path than So-cheong.” Then, he held out a wooden sword and said, “Originally, our Thunder God Style was to protect the religious ceremonies of the White Lotus Sect, sometimes conducting the ceremonies in place of the priests. In the midst of this, the power of thunder energy was used to move the sword, transforming it into a sword of light, and this became the special technique of Thunder God Style.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Of course. This is a secret only shared with those who have mastered the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique to a certain level.”

It wasn’t strange that I was only now hearing about the history of the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique. Until now, my level of swordsmanship was so crude by Lee Gwang’s standards that he didn’t consider me a successor, naturally not teaching me everything about the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique.

‘In other words, I’ve been recognized by Lee Gwang in terms of swordsmanship.’

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang’s wooden sword began to move slowly.

Crackle

After a moment, his wooden sword sparked with blue thunder energy, a phenomenon that occurred when I raised the thunder energy of the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique while unfolding the sword moves. Lee Gwang, who had been looking intently at the thunder-infused wooden sword, suddenly shouted.

“Ha!”

Crash!

“Ah..!!”

It was an astonishing sight. Suddenly, the flickering thunder energy converged into one, forming a blade sharp as a thunderbolt? It was as if the sword energy was enveloped in lightning, and its sharpness was almost beautiful. Threefold Expert Lee Gwang, having demonstrated up to this point, said,

“This is the great achievement state of Thunder Shadow Sword Technique, the Heavenly Thunder Blade. The way you’ve been infusing and releasing the thunder spirit energy into the sword is too slow and consumes too much energy. Only by creating the Heavenly Thunder Blade can you compete on equal footing with top swordsmen.”

“Th-that’s right.”

“First activate the thunder spirit, gather the dispersed thunder energy, and naturally overlay it from the sword’s tip, envisioning the shape of the blade. This way, a refined and efficient Heavenly Thunder Blade is formed.”

Swoosh

As Threefold Expert Lee Gwang lightly swung his Heavenly Thunder Blade horizontally, it shot out from the wooden sword, striking a wall five yards away with a slashing blow. Projecting sword energy at a distance in this manner was an advanced technique.

“Once you can use the Heavenly Thunder Blade naturally, you won’t fear opponents with long-range weapons. And there’s another ingenious use for it, which I’ll teach you after you’ve mastered the Heavenly Thunder Blade.”

“Yes!”

Following Lee Gwang’s instruction, I spent the entire day practicing to summon and form the Heavenly Thunder Blade. Surprisingly, in about three hours, I was able to form a blade similar to the Heavenly Thunder Blade, which seemed fast even to me. It was even fun gathering the wriggling thunder energy at the tip of the sword.

“You have already mastered the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique to a mature level. With diligent practice, you’ll be able to learn the Heavenly Thunder Blade in less than a month.”

I raised my hand.

“I have a question.”

“Go ahead, ask.”

“I understand that the Heavenly Thunder Blade is a technique for creating stable sword energy infused with the Five Elements thunder energy. But how does it differ from states like Sword Flame or Sword Strength? Can it also be achieved with the Heavenly Thunder Blade?”

Threefold Expert Lee Gwang sat down on a chair and answered my question.

“What do you think Sword Flame and Sword Strength are?”

“Sword Flame is the swirling stage before reaching Sword Strength, and Sword Strength is the highest realm a swordsman can reach, as far as I know.”

This wasn’t just my own thought. It was a martial theory I had heard from Taoist Hyuncheon in the past. I wanted to confirm the story I heard from a peak master of the Wudang Sect. Then, Lee Gwang smirked.

“That’s a rather clumsy definition. But I guess that’s what most people think.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Let me ask again. Sword energy makes a weapon as sharp and strong as a famous sword. But why do peak masters go to the trouble of creating Sword Flame, which doesn’t necessarily increase physical power?”

“……”

I had never thought about it. I had seen Taoist Hyuncheon and Ghostly Swordsman fighting with Sword Flame, but honestly, I was just barely holding on with my internal energy, so I couldn’t feel the difference between sword energy and Sword Flame. As I hesitated to answer, Lee Gwang continued,

“Listen. Sword Flame is a technique created to break the opponent’s sword energy.”

“Technique…!!”

“There are many who can project sword energy in this world. Not just peak masters, but even first-rate masters can forcibly gather energy to form sword energy. Consequently, combat techniques using sword energy have also developed. Sword Flame is a fighting technique created to easily defeat those with weaker sword energy.”

Lee Gwang continued after explaining,

“Of course, there’s a world of difference between real sword energy mastery and what you mentioned. The definition you gave is what people who don’t understand Sword Strength might say.”

“……”

I was inwardly astonished. This was the theory and martial concept Taoist Hyuncheon had told me, and Lee Gwang had easily dismissed it. If Taoist Hyuncheon himself had heard this, he would have been furiously agitated. However, I didn’t mention this and continued with my question.

“Then what exactly is true Sword Strength? What kind of power does it have?”

“Very few masters have reached the true realm of Strong Qi. Those who have typically hide their power, so their true abilities rarely come to light. Masters of such caliber often avoid the tumultuous affairs of the world and focus on their cultivation.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“There’s no need for you to be curious about it now. After you master the Heavenly Thunder Blade and enter the realm of secret techniques, you’ll be able to continue this discussion.”

I realized I had no more time for questions, as from that day, I got up at dawn and spent most of my 12-hour days in the training ground, focusing solely on creating the Heavenly Thunder Blade. Thanks to my immense internal energy, I could easily emit thunder energy, but concentrating it into the shape of a blade was a completely different challenge.

A battle of concentration and perseverance!

After about a month and six weeks of struggle, I finally managed to properly form the Heavenly Thunder Blade. It took much longer than Lee Gwang had predicted, likely due to my own talents.

Whoosh—

“Wow…”

The brilliance of the Heavenly Thunder Blade floating above my wooden sword was dazzling. Threefold Expert Lee Gwang, watching from the side, spoke bluntly.

“The light is too strong. It means you have not sufficiently controlled the thunder energy.”

“Yes.”

“Make it endlessly subtle, barely visible. The more you do so, the stronger the Heavenly Thunder Blade becomes.”

I barely wiped the sweat from my forehead. My hard work had paid off, and I was now able to create proper sword energy. The thought of how long it would have taken me to achieve this alone – at least a decade – was overwhelming. There was no faster way than receiving instruction from an excellent teacher in a prestigious martial arts school.

“Now, try moving with the Heavenly Thunder Blade wrapped around your sword, keeping the energy continuous. Practice moving the attached energy at will and releasing it externally. If you can do that, your Thunder Shadow Sword Technique will reach a different phase.”

“I understand!”

To achieve the additional applications described by Lee Gwang, I spent several more months. During that time, he never mentioned whether my progress was fast or slow. Once, when I was eager and asked if I was progressing too slowly, Lee Gwang calmly reassured me every time.

“You are doing very well.”

Trusting Lee Gwang’s words, I focused every day on perfecting the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique with tenacity. The fruits of my efforts finally paid off about half a year later.

Boom!

The Heavenly Thunder Blade shot from my wooden sword, leaving a significant scar on the wall. I could finally use the Heavenly Thunder Blade to attack at a distance. Exhausted and gasping for breath, Lee Gwang said,

“Now, if you refine the Thunder Shadow Steps, you will have almost completely eliminated your major weaknesses.”

“Thunder… Thunder Shadow Steps?”

“One eye, two feet, three gall, four strength.”

Reciting an old adage passed down among martial artists, Lee Gwang suddenly moved swiftly, creating a vivid illusion as if another entity had appeared.

“Now that you’ve mastered the power of deploying sword techniques and learned to think, it’s time to learn footwork.”

This was the pinnacle of footwork techniques I had never seen before.

‘Is this the Formless Illusionary Step?’

But I realized this was not the Formless Illusionary Step. The movement was more intricate, like a series of connected chains, and the movements were lively like a carp, yet efficient without wastage, almost like a dance.

Flutter flutter flutter

The shadows seemed to flutter like petals.

Lee Gwang had moved seven steps. But within those seven steps lay incredible agility. After firmly completing the final step, Lee Gwang announced,

“The Thunder Shadow Step’s ultimate technique, Heavenly Pillar Kill! If you master this, I will grant you the title of a true successor of the Thunder God Style.”

“Really?!”

I cheered in delight.

The title of a successor!

Even though Lee Gwang was already half-recognizing me as a successor, teaching me various secret techniques and applications, being officially recognized was different. Gaining this title meant I could truly receive Lee Gwang’s martial arts on an equal footing with Jin So-cheong. In other words, this challenge itself was akin to the final test set by Lee Gwang.

Lee Gwang nodded his head and said, “The period is three years. Master the Heavenly Pillar Kill within that time.”

“Three years?”

“Yes.”

Considering that it took nearly a year to master the Heavenly Thunder Blade, I was given three times more time for the Heavenly Pillar Kill. It was clear that this technique was going to be challenging. And if Lee Gwang said three years, it likely meant it was a technique that could take up to ten years to master.

Lee Gwang continued,

“Additionally, I’ll give you another task. While mastering the Heavenly Pillar Kill, you and Jin So-cheong will go on a martial hall-breaking journey.”

“Martial hall-breaking, as in challenging other martial arts schools?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s, um…”

I felt a considerable amount of astonishment.

Martial hall-breaking!

‘Damn it. I might even die.’

While the idea was simple, I knew all too well how dangerous it could be. When I had recklessly challenged the Twin Gates Sect of Luoyang in the past, I managed to defeat the sect’s leader, but an elder appeared and almost took my life under the guise of a sparring match.

In the world of martial arts, honor was more important than life itself, leading to frequent incidents where challengers were brutally killed in renowned sects. Martial hall-breaking was a perilous act that required the challenger to be prepared to die.

I steeled myself and declared boldly, “Let’s do it!”

“Good. Give it a try.”

The remaining time was spent under Lee Gwang’s guidance, improving my Thunder Shadow Steps. He, like before, criticized my Thunder Shadow Steps for having too many superfluous movements and lectured me on the correct posture for quick movement.

Up until then, I had thought that a peaceful and smooth training routine would continue. I would simply learn as taught and engage in dojo-breaking on the side.

However, the next morning, as I woke up in the quarters and headed to the training ground, I didn’t see my master, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang. Instead, an unexpected figure was waiting for me. He was already packed and waving at me.

“Have you arrived, junior disciple!”

“Senior brother Jin So-cheong? What brings you here…”

Jin So-cheong laughed heartily.

“Well, we have to go dojo-breaking today. We need to reach Jeonggok before dawn, so let’s hurry.”

“Ah… This is so sudden.”

Despite my grumbling, I gathered the weapons from the training ground. I hardly felt hungry even without eating, so there was no need for extra preparations. I strapped a useful sword to my waist and suddenly felt something strange.

“Wait a minute, senior. Jeonggok? That place is…”

“That’s right, junior.”

My expression twisted at my senior’s following words.

“It’s the village at the entrance of Mount Zhongnan.”