Wudang Sacred Scriptures

In front of the Hall of Hidden Dragons, Elder Councilor Jegal Deok pointed his sword at the guard who stood in his path.
“You dare block my way? Do you wish to die?”
Despite the blade’s blue gleam pressing against his neck, the guard remained composed.

“No one may enter the Hall of Hidden Dragons without the Patriarch’s permission.”
“No one? You insolent wretch—who do you think I am?”
Jegal Deok’s rage shook his sword, and a bead of blood welled on the guard’s throat.

“Stand down.”
A heavy voice rang out from within the Hall.
“Uncle, please come inside.”

Only then did Jegal Deok withdraw his sword, glaring once at the guard as he stepped aside.
Inside the Hall, Patriarch Jegal Jin received him with courtesy.
“You might have sent word beforehand.”

“Since when must I send word in advance just to meet my nephew?”
“Uncle, you know well that the clan’s rules have always been so. One must have the Patriarch’s leave to enter the inner sanctum.”
“……”

“All this time, it was only due to my father’s indulgence that you came and went freely. His mourning period is now complete, and there is nothing left for you to remember in this Hall. I ask for your understanding.”
Jegal Deok’s face flushed faintly.
It was a gentle, yet unmistakably firm line being drawn by the Patriarch.

That line only deepened his anger.
“Very well. I shall keep that in mind. But what of your decision to bury the matter of the First Branch? What does that mean?”
Patriarch Jegal Jin replied calmly.
“Exactly as you’ve heard.”

“Patriarch! Waryong is dead. Your dear friend—your cherished younger brother is dead!”
“He is also your son, Uncle.”
At those words, Jegal Deok’s rising fury subsided, faced with Jegal Jin’s calm gaze.

“The one who killed him is said to be a disciple of Wudang, yes—but he is a renounced Daoist of the mundane world. Punishing a mere lay cultivator like him would hardly strain relations with Wudang. On the contrary, Wudang is likely tormented over this matter. I’d wager my hand they’re silently hoping we clean it up for them.”
“I forbid any such action.”
“Patriarch.”

“Uncle,”
Jegal Jin’s tone hardened.
“If you stir up a pile of shit, you’ll only end up covered in it.”

“What’s a little shit on your clothes? Just wash it off with blood like we’ve always done.”
Such was the way of the Jegal Clan.
They covered their own disgrace with a greater disgrace from the other party. And the dead cannot protest.

Jegal Jin spoke.
“Uncle, are you planning to plunge your own son into that pile?”
“Patriarch, what do you mean?”

“If the main house responds now, it means we’re admitting the circulating rumors are true. That would make your son out to be a butcher of innocents.”
“Saying nothing is also an admission.”
Jegal Jin shook his head.

“At first, yes, it may seem so. But if the main house continues to hold its silence, time will allow another possibility to form. Already, a few voices have begun to say the rumors are baseless.”
“……”
“The magistrate’s office will resolve this within the Honam governor’s jurisdiction. And bloated rumors will deflate with time.”

Jegal Jin looked out the window at the [N O V E L I G H T] bare tree branches, then continued.
“Uncle, only when winter passes can the swallows return. I understand your pain and grief—but I ask you to trust this Patriarch and wait.”
Jegal Deok found himself with no words to refute.

“Then I shall wait, and trust in you.”
Jegal Jin spoke again.
“I was already planning to meet with you, and since you’re here, let me ask—why did your son feel the need to amass a fortune through silver smuggling? Are you not curious?”

“What’s there to be curious about? He was simply ambitious, working hard for the main house. He got greedy, is all.”
“I thought the same.”
Jegal Jin nodded, then asked abruptly,

“But were you aware your son was operating a silver smuggling mine?”
“…Not at all.”
Jegal Jin looked closely at his uncle and spoke.

“I see. That’s fortunate. It means I don’t have to be disappointed in you.”
“……”
“To be frank, I was deeply disappointed that the Lord of Waryong Hall—your son—was running operations I, the Patriarch, knew nothing about. Please return now. I have much to attend to.”

Jegal Deok had no choice but to rise at the Patriarch’s order to depart.
As he walked toward the door, Jegal Jin called out,
“Please don’t give me cause to be disappointed in you.”

“…Understood.”
Jegal Deok’s face twisted as he approached the door.
“Just now… he called me ‘Uncle,’ not ‘Honored Uncle.’”

In his anger, Jegal Deok had forgotten that the Patriarch of the Jegal Clan was the one known as the Hidden Dragon.
 
****

Having left Shin Yabu, Kwak Yeon had spent several days in a mountain hut.
He had discovered the empty hunter’s shelter while passing through the mountain path, and stayed there ever since that night.
On that first night, lying beneath the ceiling with sky showing through, a single thought consumed him.

It was the final move executed by Jeong Sang-cheon, the Waryong Divine Sword, that lingered in his mind.
Sword Guided by Qi (Igi Yugeom).
Though Jeong Sang-cheon was said to have reached the height of Projection, he had nonetheless been a transcendent master.

And if such a man had wielded Sword Guided by Qi, then surely someone at the level of Fire and Sword Fusion—like himself—should be able to do the same.
But when it came time to attempt it himself, he found he could not muster the will.
Kwak Yeon carefully recalled the movements executed by the Waryong Divine Sword at the time. From them, he could clearly determine which internal energy flow had been used.

But the outer meridian workings—those harmonizations occurring within the body’s major vessels—could not be discerned by observing mere external motions.
The stage of ascendant martial arts begins when internal energy is amplified through the assistance of external channels.
The Waryong Divine Sword had mastered the Jeong Family’s ascendant arts. That was why, despite his transcendent level, he had been able to unleash the arcane technique Sword Guided by Qi.

In contrast, Kwak Yeon had learned only the basic disciplines of the Wudang Sect—and even then, only through formulas heard in passing.
Of course, because they were foundational arts, he could modify them more freely, even applying them in unconventional and extreme ways.
The three divine techniques of the Western disciple had been fundamentally different from ascendant martial arts. They were specialized in merciless killing.

Though he had ascended to the Fire and Sword Fusion state through the fateful encounter with the Art of the Everchanging Origin, he could not help but feel the lack of ascendant martial training.
That realization struck him even harder after witnessing the Sword Guided by Qi of the Waryong Divine Sword.
It was only natural—because he knew that he, too, could achieve it.

It was like a man who can run seeing someone walk, and wondering whether he, too, should try walking. But having never learned how, the attempt felt awkward.
And yet, Kwak Yeon did not panic.
For one who can run, walking must surely be within reach. If it hasn’t been learned, then it can be discovered through effort.

So rather than hurrying on to Agyang Pavilion, Kwak Yeon chose to stop for a time.
There was a small stream in front of the hut, and beyond two mountains lay a secluded village.
It was a suitable place to live a simple life for a while.

From that day, Kwak Yeon devoted himself to studying Sword Guided by Qi.
The movements shown by the Waryong Divine Sword had been of great help.
Kwak Yeon offered a bitter smile, wondering if this was the price of sending the man off without agony.

“Before invoking Sword Guided by Qi, the Waryong Divine Sword moved his fingers with purpose. Then he set the guard of his sword upright in the center of his palm.”
Following that image, Kwak Yeon imitated the posture and delved deeper.
“He used the inch-force (chon-gyeong) through the fingers, and the push-force (chae-gyeong) through the center of the palm. When his sword shuddered violently, it was because he had imbued all his internal energy with the extreme compression of transfer-force (jeonsa-gyeong).”

He had loaded the sword with transfer-force—an external energy technique—while stabilizing it with inch-force, a type of internal power. Then, he had propelled the blade with push-force from his palm.
Of course, the sword controlled by the Waryong Divine Sword’s Sword Guided by Qi had only traveled about half a jang.
From there, the remaining three jang to Jeon Yu’s heart had been covered by the momentum of the push-force carrying the compressed transfer energy.

Whether half a jang or five jang, the actual distance was unimportant.
It could always be extended. The power could always be increased. And the number of swords need not remain at one.
Eventually, even more than ten blades could be controlled using Sword Guided by Qi.

Kwak Yeon wanted to see that—the falling stars of myriad swords unleashed at once.
“Ten Thousand Blades Meteor Shower—that shall be the name.”
Kwak Yeon chuckled quietly to himself.

“Naming the technique before I’ve even succeeded—how grandiose.”
Regardless, he knew the first step had to be the successful invocation of Sword Guided by Qi with a single blade.
Kwak Yeon immersed himself for days in studying and repeatedly attempting the technique.

And at last, he grasped the martial principle of Sword Guided by Qi.
“The space between the sword and the hand isn’t empty. It’s a channel created by sending Earth-Wind (Ji-Pung) forward to connect blade and Qi—and through that channel, internal energy flows to control it.”
Thanks to the awakening of perception brought by the Art of the Everchanging Origin, and the years he had spent steadily practicing the Celestial Meridian Map, he had achieved deep understanding of energy channels. Moreover, his training in both internal and external forces under Daoist Cheong-mu had grounded his knowledge—allowing him to comprehend it all in such a short time.

Kwak Yeon drew the Cheonggang Sword and focused his mind on the hilt.
He unraveled a single thread of intent from within his mind and tethered it to the hilt.
Where the mind leads, Qi follows.

Rather than opening the channel with Earth-Wind, he created a tether of intent-bound Qi to connect the sword.
With this, he could invoke Sword Guided by Qi without the need to physically point or make a sword seal.
The Art of the Everchanging Origin had instantly elevated the technique to a new level.

— Shuaaak!
At last, the Cheonggang Sword rose into the air.
It was not propelled with push-force like the Waryong Divine Sword had done.

It was a true divine blade—formed by the unity of pure internal projection, external acceleration, and the prayer-like precision of the Fire and Sword Fusion state.
Watching the blade rise in accordance with his will, Kwak Yeon felt a surge of joy.
His journey through the martial world these past months had deepened his mastery of the Art of the Everchanging Origin.

That day, the sword had flown just half a jang.
The next day, it reached a full jang.
By the time he resolved to leave the hut, the distance had extended to three jang.

The Cheonggang Sword soared like an arrow between trees.
Kwak Yeon felt as though he himself had become the sword, flying through the air.
At the Fire and Sword Fusion level, Sword Guided by Qi became linked to the will. It was no longer Qi that controlled the sword—it was intent itself.

Though he now controlled the sword within a range of three jang, his inner energy was steadily growing, and the distance would inevitably increase.