Soul Summoning Sword Spirit

Chapter 7: Training the Sword Spirit (2)

Gugwi awoke to the break of dawn.

The mist shrouding the citadel cast a pale light through the window. The wind brushed the leaves, making a soft sound, and in the distance, birds chirped, breaking the morning silence.

The mountain ridges faintly visible through the fog seemed mysterious, like a place where immortals might dwell.

He lifted himself from the bed.

Today marked the beginning of his first training.

His chest throbbed with anticipation, and a slight tremble reached his fingertips from the tension.

Excitement seeped through the nerves.

Creak!

The door opened and Yeon Sohye entered the room.

She stood against the morning sunlight, casting a long shadow.

“So you’re already awake.”

Yeon Sohye approached with a gentle smile.

“It’s your first day of training.”

Gugwi nodded, calming his breath.

She sat beside him and lowered her voice.

“Learn everything here. How to commune with spirits without being tainted. Don’t give away that you can enter the Realm of the Threshold.”

She added firmly, staring straight into his eyes.

“Never reveal your true ability.”

Gugwi tilted his head and asked.

“That I’m of the Gatekeeper’s bloodline... why does that need to be hidden? Is it that special?”

“The Sect Leader already explained. Normally, a Soul-Summoner can only unite with a single spirit in their lifetime. But those of the Gatekeeper’s bloodline have privileges. They can freely enter the Realm of the Threshold and unite with multiple spirits. That makes you a subject for special monitoring. Someone will always be around you.”

“That sounds annoying.”

“It’s more than annoying... you could die. The Murim Alliance doesn’t want Soul-Summoners they can’t control.”

Yeon Sohye spoke seriously.

Her gaze carried both fear and warning.

***

The path to the training grounds was quiet.

Gugwi headed to a place called Soul Hall to meet Yun Seoha.

She, one of the Seven Cold Wolves, had sharp eyes. Like looking at a sword? Yet she exuded a composed aura.

Her long hair flowed in the breeze over her black training uniform, and a thin sword was held in her hand.

A faint blue energy shimmered around her sword—traces of Soul-Summoning energy infused into martial arts.

“So you’re the new student.”

Yun Seoha glanced over Gugwi from head to toe as she spoke.

“Let’s start with a simple test.”

She motioned him toward a stone plate.

She placed a small incense burner on the stone and lit it, letting smoke slowly rise.

“Close your eyes and feel the energy.”

Yun Seoha instructed calmly.

Gugwi closed his eyes and tried to sense the energy.

Yeon Sohye had warned him not to expose his abilities, but that was unnecessary here. The method of entering the Realm of the Threshold was completely different from his father’s. It was safe to follow as it was.

“This method... is so slow and inconvenient.”

The smoke tickling his nose and throat felt uncomfortable. His father’s Illusory Name Command had been immediate and vivid.

Gugwi barely sensed the energy of the Realm of the Threshold.

Suddenly, his hand trembled. The darkness of the Realm crept in, evoking fear. It felt like death awaited if he were pulled into that darkness. Gugwi gasped roughly.

He hadn’t even fully entered the deep current of the Realm, yet this was happening.

Clearly, the Cold Wolf Sect’s entry method was inefficient.

Yun Seoha tilted her head slightly, observing him closely.

Her sharp gaze swept over Gugwi’s trembling fingers and stiff expression.

“You have the basic aptitude.”

Yun Seoha’s voice was calm, though a hint of suspicion lingered beneath it.

“You’ll need a lot of polishing. We’ll make up for that with training.”

She rested her chin on her hand and seemed to ponder briefly.

Gugwi let out a long breath to relax.

‘Ah! That was a mistake! Right. For most people, even entering the Realm is hard. They start learning from here. I need to learn it properly. From the beginning.’

Gugwi steadied his mind.

Soul Hall was filled with a mysterious energy.

Faded talismans lined the walls, and faint light seeped between them.

A round stone plate in the center emitted a cold glow.

The drip of water from the ceiling echoed strangely, deepening the silence in the room.

Yun Seoha stood in front of the students and raised her hand.

“Soul-Summoning is a dialogue with the Realm of the Threshold.”

She continued in a composed tone.

“You must first start by sensing its presence. Don’t rush. You must grow used to the darkness of the Realm.”

Gugwi sat among the other students, listening attentively.

He buried the knowledge taught by his father deep within.

He closed his eyes, inhaled, and focused like a beginner. But deep down, he felt uneasy.

His father’s Soul-Summoning Arts led straight into the Realm of the Threshold. Floating within its darkness had never felt dangerous or frightening. It was rather comforting.

His body was already familiar with the Realm.

He could go there easily... so was it right to do it this way, to experience fear just to reach it? It felt strange.

Unconsciously, he tilted his head.

Yun Seoha quietly observed him.

The fear of the Realm of the Threshold came from the presence of death within it—the world of dead spirits.

Gugwi knew that place was very peaceful.

He pushed away the fear that came with entering the Realm. He knew that within death, there was comfort.

The smoke filling Soul Hall wrapped around his body.

Thud!

His body rose. He pushed past the fear and entered the Realm. But then... iron walls rose on all sides. There was no way in, no visible gap.

The iron walls surrounded him like a massive fortress. If, as Yun Seoha said, they were barriers that sealed the Realm of the Threshold... then why hadn’t his father sensed such walls?

‘How am I supposed to get in?’

Gugwi panicked.

He searched for an opening, circling the iron wall. Nothing. No gap.

He opened his eyes and muttered in confusion.

“Ah... something’s not working. I can’t get in.”

Yun Seoha approached and gently pressed his shoulder.

“No one gets it right the first time. You saw the iron wall?”

“Yes. I saw it.”

“Keep looking for the gaps. We enter through those gaps. And we stop the Heavenly Sound Cult from getting in. Guarding those openings is our calling and duty.”

She spoke sharply.

He heard the other students murmuring.

“He’s looking for gaps on the first day? Didn’t he already access the Realm of the Threshold?”

“His father was supposedly a high-ranking member of the Heavenly Sound Cult. He must’ve learned something since he was young. Otherwise… it took us over half a year just to enter the Realm.”

Their whispers naturally reached Gugwi’s ears.

Words tinged with jealousy scraped past his ears like blades, but he swallowed hard and endured it.

Even after undergoing the official initiation and becoming a disciple of the Cold Wolf Sect, a part of him still felt heavy. To the students who had trained in the Soul-Summoning Arts here since childhood, he was nothing more than a stranger.

Their gazes were filled with a mixture of caution and envy, but Gugwi did not avoid them.

‘No matter what they say, I will learn.’

He steeled his resolve.

But another thought floated through his mind.

‘I can already enter the Realm of the Threshold… so what’s the point of learning this?’

Entering the Realm wasn’t the issue for him. The challenge lay in connecting with the spirits.

There had to be a reason why his father, who knew about the secret of the Gatekeeper’s bloodline, had told him to go to the Cold Wolf Sect. He decided to trust that intention.

Though his mind was clouded with distractions, Gugwi shook his head to drive them away.

Now was the time to focus on training.

Gugwi carefully opened his eyes.

He felt he understood what the wall blocking entry into the Realm truly was. It was the fear of death. The desire not to die had become a solid wall in front of him. The wall was his own creation.

‘Afraid of death, I can’t enter the Realm of the Threshold. Because I don’t understand that death is merely a continuation of life…’

Gugwi regulated his breath and fell into thought.

Life and death were interconnected. So a Soul-Summoner had to accept death as a part of daily life. Once he opened his heart in that way, even this wall would be easy to overcome.

He didn’t know how the other students had opened the door. But for Gugwi, who had floated through the Realm, its essence was too clear. In the darkness he was already familiar with, realization sank in.

But would it be okay to speak this aloud?

The jealous whispers around him echoed in his mind.

The envy hidden in words like “genius” or “outstanding ability” weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Gugwi wore a slightly resigned expression.

He took a deep breath and spoke.

“I don’t see any gaps. I can’t open the door.”

There was hesitation in his voice.

Yun Seoha approached and looked into his eyes. Her sharp gaze seemed to pierce right through him.

“You’re interesting.”

Yun Seoha said with a slight smile.

“Do you already have a foundation in the Realm, or are you just especially sensitive…? For a first day, you did well. I’m looking forward to it. You have good instincts. Most people take months.”

She nodded.

Gugwi replied quietly.

“I should try one more time.”

He closed his eyes again.

Gugwi finished his training and stepped out of Soul Hall. But the moment he crossed the threshold, he was met with a cold stare.

He turned his head and saw an unfamiliar man.

A man with a body like forged steel.

The overwhelming presence of a Murim Alliance martial artist emanated from his black martial arts uniform, and the veins on his forearms, exposed through his sleeves, were thick and defined. More than anything, his killing intent was intense.

His gaze was as cold and sharp as ice—like an eagle eyeing its prey.

The man slowly approached Gugwi.

“The new disciple already made progress?”

He spoke lowly, the corners of his lips slightly curled.

“Who are you?”

Gugwi felt as if the man’s gaze had stolen the breath from his lungs.

As the man stepped closer, the air trembled slightly. A tingling wave brushed across Gugwi’s skin. In that moment, the energy of Soul-Summoning that had been circulating inside him scattered.

As if a thin thread had snapped, his connection to the Realm of the Threshold became faint.

Gugwi’s heart sank.

‘Who is this man? What is this… feeling…?’

His eyes widened in surprise, and he inhaled sharply.

The man smiled with satisfaction.

“You noticed that too? Pretty sensitive for a beginner. Looks like I’ll need to investigate.”

There was a strange curiosity in his voice.

Just then, the door opened and Yun Seoha stepped out. Her sharp eyes turned to the man.

“Jin Hoon, what was the meaning of using Nameless Sound Disruption on a beginner?”

Yun Seoha asked coldly, glaring at him.

Gugwi grasped two facts. The man’s name was Jin Hoon, and the severing of his Soul-Summoning was due to a martial art called Nameless Sound Disruption. A martial art? Then, could martial arts disrupt Soul-Summoning?

The emptiness and helplessness he’d felt when his connection to the Realm was cut still lingered in a corner of his mind. Was that… was that sensation caused by this man?

Yun Seoha stared at Jin Hoon and said,

“To use that technique against a Soul-Summoner, you need the Sect Leader’s permission. Did you get it? Or did you act on your own?”

Her voice was sharp with accusation.

Jin Hoon shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“It was just a light prank. No need to be so sensitive, right? Hahaha!”

He burst out laughing and stepped back leisurely.

Gugwi tried to calm his breath. His heart was still pounding. It had definitely been a technique that suppressed Soul-Summoning.

‘So Soul-Summoning isn’t invincible.’

This new discovery made him reflect deeply. Had his father known this? Surely he had. The martial art that killed his father must have been something similar.

That night, Yeon Sohye came to Gugwi’s room.

After locking the door, she spoke in a low voice.

“You need to be careful with Jin Hoon.”

Gugwi looked at her.

“The Cold Wolf Sect is under the surveillance of the Murim Alliance. The martial artists sent by the Alliance to this sect have the authority to execute Soul-Summoners on the spot—with the Sect Leader’s approval, of course. If they deem the crime serious enough, they’ll kill immediately. Jin Hoon is one of those sent to watch over the sect.”

Yeon Sohye sat down by the bed and continued.

“Nameless Sound Disruption is a martial art that disrupts the waves of the soul. It could become a Soul-Summoner’s natural enemy.”

Her fingertips trembled slightly. The fear of Nameless Sound Disruption seemed deeply rooted in her.

She took Gugwi’s hand.

“Don’t draw his attention. If he finds out you’re special, it’ll be dangerous.”

Gugwi nodded.

After Yeon Sohye left, Gugwi sat alone in the room, lost in thought.

Hiding his abilities was becoming an increasingly heavy burden.

The Illusory Name Command his father taught him in the Realm of the Threshold was a part of him, but he had to conceal it here in the Cold Wolf Sect.

The weight of living a double life pressed down on him.

Moonlight seeped into the room through the window. In that light, Gugwi stretched out his arm and opened his fingers. A faint trace of blue light hovered at his fingertips. His father’s energy was still alive.

As the night deepened, he made up his mind.

‘I’ll train in secret. Without anyone knowing… I’ll master what I learned today as much as I can.’

He closed his eyes. From now on… he would walk both paths: the public training as a disciple of the Cold Wolf Sect, and the secret training as the Gatekeeper’s bloodline.