Chapter 7

Was it a mistake?

Yeon Woo-jin’s reaction seemed strange.

He, too, looked surprised, as if he had seen something.

But then his expression hardened, and he refocused on the wooden sword in front of him.

Had he discovered something?

Jeok Seong swallowed nervously and continued to observe.

And then—

Twitch—twitch—

This time, he saw it clearly.

The sword was moving.

A ghost?

Was a spirit manipulating it?

Or perhaps—

Jeok Seong quickly scanned his surroundings.

It had to be Yeon Cheon-baek playing some sort of trick.

At that moment—

The wooden sword began to rise into the air.

Seeing this, Jeok Seong was convinced.

Yeon Cheon-baek was definitely messing around.

‘The old man’s playing tricks again.’

But it didn’t seem as smooth as something Yeon Cheon-baek would do.

The sword floated up, then dropped back down, only to rise again and fall once more.

‘No way… No, that can’t be it…’

The idea that Yeon Woo-jin was the one moving the sword crossed his mind, but he shook his head.

Then he saw it.

Yeon Woo-jin, drenched in sweat, staring intently at the sword.

“Huff, huff!”

Woo-jin collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, and the sword fell to the floor with a clatter.

For him to be breathing so hard—it meant he had been focusing intensely on something.

Could it be?

Jeok Seong cautiously asked,

“Was it… you who just moved the sword?”

“Huff, huff! Yes. When I concentrated, the sword started trembling. So I focused even more, and it moved.”

Jeok Seong’s eyes widened in disbelief at Woo-jin’s response.

He had never heard of such a thing.

Moving a sword without even touching it? And without any internal energy?

Was he seriously supposed to believe that concentrating had made the sword float in the air?

“Are you and the old man messing with me?”

“Huh? Why would I play a prank on you?”

“Because it’s more believable than you moving the sword without any internal energy.”

“I get how you feel. I was shocked, too.”

“What?”

“I don’t know what’s happening either!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Think about it. I was frustrated because my skills weren’t improving, so I glared at the sword—and it moved. I don’t have any internal energy! Wouldn’t anyone be surprised?”

“Maybe the old man’s pulling a trick from somewhere…”

“At first, I thought it was you or Grandpa playing a prank, too. But no. The sword really moved by my will.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. What’s going on here?”

“I don’t… Maybe you should talk to the old man about it.”

“Even you don’t know?”

“No. This is the first time I’ve ever seen something like this… But if anyone knows, it’d be the old man.”

“Grandpa would know, right?”

Looking at Woo-jin’s serious expression, Jeok Seong had to admit it.

The sword had moved—not by tricks, but by some unknown force.

“He probably knows.”

That was all Jeok Seong could say.

*****

That night—

Yeon Cheon-baek did not return.

He had said he would be back by today.

Perhaps he had too many matters to handle after being away for so long.

Meanwhile, Yeon Woo-jin was still trying to make sense of what had happened earlier that day.

‘I definitely felt something leaving my body. What could it have been?’

It wasn’t internal energy.

His internal energy barely amounted to the size of a chestnut. If he had lost even a fraction of it, he would have noticed immediately.

But that precious little internal energy, earned through two years of diligent training, remained untouched.

In other words, it wasn’t internal energy that had moved the wooden sword.

Then what was it?

Woo-jin focused on the teacup in front of him, just as he had stared at the sword earlier.

Clink—

Once again, he felt something draining from his body as the cup began to move.

Unlike earlier, now that he was aware of the mysterious force, he could feel it more distinctly.

As he continued concentrating, his head grew lighter, and a faint dizziness crept in.

‘My head! It definitely came from my head.’

The energy wasn’t coming from his dantian.

Drip—

Suddenly, blood trickled from his nose, and a sharp headache followed.

‘Ugh! So using too much of it takes a toll.’

Crash—

The teacup, which had floated into the air, fell and shattered on the floor.

‘Let’s be satisfied with figuring out the source of this power.’

Woo-jin wiped the blood from his nose and leaned back, deep in thought.

‘The energy comes from my head? What the hell is this?’

No matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t find an answer.

The only way to truly understand it was to make this power his own.

‘Starting tomorrow, I’ll use this power every day. Grandpa always said you get better at anything if you practice it often.’

Recalling Yeon Cheon-baek’s advice, Woo-jin resolved to train this newfound power diligently, beginning the next day.

*****

The next day—

The long-awaited Yeon Cheon-baek finally returned.

“Grandpa!”

“Oh-ho! You rascal! Hahaha!”

Yeon Woo-jin ran out and threw himself into Yeon Cheon-baek’s arms. The old man burst into laughter, ruffling Woo-jin’s hair.

“Did you miss me that much?”

“Yes! So much!”

“Hahaha! Is that so? This old man missed you just as much.”

Yeon Cheon-baek felt all his fatigue melt away.

He had wanted to return sooner, but too many events had demanded his attention.

He had endured it all with superhuman patience, resisting the urge to drop everything and rush back.

Of course, the people of Mushincheon had borne the brunt of his frustration during that time.

“So? Nothing unusual happened while I was gone?”

“Nope!”

“And you’ve been training hard?”

At that, Woo-jin’s face fell.

“I’m sorry… I tried my best, but…”

Seeing the boy’s dejected expression, Yeon Cheon-baek quickly reassured him.

“Ah! My mistake! Of course, you’ve been working hard—always! My Woo-jin is the most diligent of all!”

He gently patted Woo-jin’s head, comforting him.

“But Grandpa, I think… I think I have another talent.”

“Hm? Another talent?”

“Yes! If I focus on something, I can make it move. I can even make it float.”

“What are you talking about?”

Yeon Cheon-baek tilted his head in confusion.

“Grandpa, you don’t know anything about this kind of thing?”

“What you’re describing… it sounds like Hogongseobmul (허공섭물).”

“Hogongseobmul?”

“Yes. It’s a technique used by people with overwhelming power—like me.”

“But I can do it too.”

“You?”

Yeon Cheon-baek stared at Woo-jin in disbelief.

“You don’t believe me. I’ll show you right now.”

Woo-jin fixed his gaze on the wooden sword.

Yeon Cheon-baek’s brows furrowed slightly as he watched.

Clatter—

The sword shifted.

“What?”

Clatter—clatter—

The movements grew stronger until the sword rose about the length of a finger off the ground.

Yeon Cheon-baek’s eyes darted between Woo-jin and the sword, his face filled with shock.

Clink—

The sword dropped to the floor as Woo-jin slumped forward, breathing heavily.

“Huff… Huff… You saw it, right? The sword moved just like I wanted it to.”

“Y-yeah…”

Yeon Cheon-baek, who prided himself on having seen it all, was at a loss for words.

Drip—

Then he saw blood trickling from Woo-jin’s nose.

“Woo-jin!”

Alarmed, he rushed over, stopping the nosebleed and immediately checking the boy’s pulse.

Relieved that there was no serious damage, he spoke with a worried expression.

“You must refrain from using that ability for now. It’s putting too much strain on your body.”

“But if I train hard enough, I can use this instead of martial arts, right?”

Yeon Cheon-baek hesitated.

Should he tell the truth?

Or should he give the boy hope to keep pushing forward?

In the end, he couldn’t bear to see Woo-jin’s face fall.

“That’s right! If you master this power, you could even aim for the title of the strongest in the martial world!”

“Really?”

“Of course! Hogongseobmul and techniques like Igi-eogeom—manipulating swords with Qi—are incredibly powerful. Keep training, but don’t overdo it. Got it?”

“Yes, Grandpa!”

Yeon Cheon-baek smiled at Woo-jin’s bright response, his heart warming despite the worries lingering in his mind.@@novelbin@@

*****

“If Woo-jin tries to overuse that power today, stop him immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You said this was his first time using it yesterday?”

“That’s right. But what exactly is happening here?”

“I don’t know.”

“…What?”

“This is my first time witnessing something like this too. Using Hogongseobmul (허공섭물) without any internal energy? How am I supposed to make sense of that?”

Even Yeon Cheon-baek, with all his experience, had never seen such a phenomenon before.

He had also sensed the energy flowing out of Woo-jin’s body.

It was an energy unlike anything he had ever encountered.

One thing was clear.

Woo-jin wasn’t an ordinary child.

It was an unfamiliar and mysterious energy that even Yeon Cheon-baek himself had never experienced.

‘Could he be a child sent from the heavens?’

No—he was a gift from the heavens.

Thinking of it that way filled Yeon Cheon-baek with joy.

Then, the image of Woo-jin’s nosebleed flashed through his mind.

His expression darkened.

Woo-jin needed nourishment.

Wait—nourishment?

“Ah! What’s wrong with me? I even brought the elixir for Woo-jin and completely forgot about it. Go fetch him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yeon Cheon-baek had been so stunned by what he saw earlier that he had forgotten about the elixir he brought to help Woo-jin absorb and stabilize his energy.

A short while later—

Woo-jin appeared, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

It seemed he had just drifted off.

Yeon Cheon-baek suddenly felt guilty for waking him.

“Ah! Were you sleeping, my boy? I must have disturbed you.”

“It’s okay. I’d rather be with you than sleep.”

Thump—

The words pierced Yeon Cheon-baek’s heart, filling him with warmth.

‘Damn it! My boy is so sweet! He’s perfect!’

At that moment, Yeon Cheon-baek felt he would gladly give his life for Woo-jin.

He had never understood what it meant to sacrifice everything for one’s child, but now he did.

Truly.

For Woo-jin, even his own life felt insignificant.

His affection for Woo-jin only deepened with time.

After staring lovingly at Woo-jin for a moment, Yeon Cheon-baek finally spoke.

“Sorry, my boy. I brought an elixir for you, but I completely forgot about it. I could’ve given it to you tomorrow, but it’s better to take it as soon as possible. That’s why I called you.”

“I’m fine, Grandpa.”

“Haha. You rascal.”

Yeon Cheon-baek smiled and opened a wooden box.

Inside was a radiant, golden elixir.

“This is called the Mushin Golden Pill (Musin Geumwondan, 무신금환단).”

At those words, Jeok Seong’s eyes widened in shock.

The Mushin Golden Pill was practically the treasure of Mushincheon.

If an ordinary person consumed it, they would gain a long, healthy life free of illness.

For a martial artist, it granted internal energy surpassing even higher-grade elixirs.

It was a divine pill—far above any other.

Only the Lord of Mushincheon could access it.

Only the Lord could touch it.

Even Mushincheon had only a few of these precious pills.

Yet here Yeon Cheon-baek was, offering one to Woo-jin.

Surely there had been objections when he took it.

But any complaints would have been silenced quickly.

After all, the one taking it was Yeon Cheon-baek—the Lord of Mushincheon and the Martial God himself.

“Now, take this and focus your energy circulation. I’ll guide you.”

“Yes!”

Woo-jin carefully placed the pill in his mouth.

It melted instantly, like snow, sliding down his throat.

At the same time, Yeon Cheon-baek’s energy flowed into his back.

“Focus and follow the flow of my energy.”

As soon as Yeon Cheon-baek spoke, Woo-jin’s energy began to stir.

A warm heat spread throughout his body.

Watching this, Yeon Cheon-baek couldn’t help but be amazed.

Woo-jin might not have the martial bones of a natural fighter, but his comprehension was extraordinary.

A genius.

He never forgot what he saw or learned, not even once.

If Woo-jin had pursued academics instead of martial arts, he would have been hailed as the greatest scholar in the world.

Yeon Cheon-baek had initially considered that path.

If Woo-jin lacked talent for martial arts, wouldn’t it be better to make use of his brilliant mind elsewhere?

But Woo-jin wanted to learn martial arts.

And Yeon Cheon-baek wanted to let him do whatever he wished.

That’s why he had even brought the Mushin Golden Pill—to give Woo-jin every possible advantage.