The soles of his feet press firmly into the grass.
The force travels from the soles, up through the ankles, calves, thighs, and waist.
He gradually applies strength to his lower body, which serves as the center of his stance.
Whether itâs a sword (ĺ) or a fist (ćł), the lower body must be the center.
Even those who use archery (ĺźčĄ) are no exception.
This means it must become the origin (ĺ).
Once the distribution of strength is satisfactory, he draws his inner energy through a long breath.
Whoosh!
Flames surge through his body.
He immediately suppresses the wild flames that try to flare up.
Excessive strength is no different from having none at all.
The Nine Flame Wheel Technique slowly twists and rotates within his body.
As a result, a ring of flames forms around him.
[Not yet.]
Spitting out heat, Shin No-yaâs voice urges him to increase the speed of rotation.
Whoosh!
He feels the inner energy rapidly flowing out.
At the same time, he senses the heat of the ring intensifying.
[Not yet.]
The second command.
He carefully controls the flames to grow stronger without destroying the surroundings.
This kind of training will help him condense and release flames in actual combat in the future.
After a certain level of rotation, the inner energy inside his body strikes something.
It was the dantian.
â...Itâs reaching it.â
He found it absurd.
The rough technique, while powerful, made the path to the wall difficult.
If he hadnât absorbed the aura of the monster, he wouldnât have reached the 4th rank.
Yet, the thorns in the technique had shrunk, and he was already poking at the dantian like a mischievous child.
[Thatâs not good.]
He nodded at Shin No-yaâs words.
As he said, it had only reached the dantian.
He shouldnât open it recklessly.
Even Shin No-ya seemed exasperated by this.
[âŚTruly a terrifying talent, to already be poking at the dantian.]
Talent? It might look that way to Shin No-ya, but this was only possible because of his past experience.
The difference between a martial artist reaching the peak and not lies in whether they can open the dantian through inner energy and feel the sensation.
Without enough inner energy, it canât be opened, and even if it opens by luck, the vast energy will cause the dantian to burst.
The problem is that even if one is prepared, they might not reach the dantian without enlightenment.
Thereâs a world of difference between being able to open it at any time and not being prepared.
âHuffâŚ.â
The expanding ring had now reached the level of last nightâs confrontation with Young-feng.
The beginning of the 4th rank.
Now, it was difficult to control the heat, and it was starting to affect the surroundings.
Just when he wondered how much further he could go,
[âŚThatâs enough.]
At Shin No-yaâs signal, he immediately retracted his inner energy.
Although he stopped the technique, the remaining heat made smoke rise from his body.
âHow is it?â
[This is your limit for now.]
Hmm, just at yesterdayâs level.
If asked what he was doing,
As Shin No-ya drew out his inner energy, something inside his body started to stir, so he came out in broad daylight to check his limits.
The result was that he could use inner energy to the point of breaking an arm, but anything more was a stretch.
â...Hmm.â
He thought about it, but no clear solution came to mind.
Would going to Huashan help? He still wasnât sure.
But there was no other way, and the problem was that he had to go regardless.
[You worry too much. Just go and see what happens.]
Shin No-ya was right.
He knew that worrying wouldnât solve anything.
Accidents always happened wherever he went, so his worries had only increased.
He brushed off the dust from his clothes and thought about practicing some forms, but then he sensed someone behind him.
Fortunately, it was a familiar face.
âLittle Hero, did you have a good night?â
Young-feng, with a cheerful smile.
[OhâŚ]
Shin No-ya exclaimed in surprise.
He felt the same way.
After what happened yesterday, he thought Young-feng might not be able to overcome it, but...
Young-feng appeared in front of him as if nothing had happened and even looked more relaxed.
Had he overcome his mental block, or had he never fallen into it in the first place?
[How does it look?]
At Shin No-yaâs question, he made a dubious face.
He already knew the answer. Young-feng had sorted his thoughts in just one night.
While not everything was resolved, the more composed aura and expression made it clear.
âThis is why geniuses...â
They all annoy him.
Whether Young-feng knew his thoughts or not, he slowly bowed his head.
âYoung-feng DojangâŚ?â
âThank you.â
âWhat do you mean by that?â
Young-feng had an awkward smile on his face.
âI may be lacking in knowledge, but I can tell that you were trying to teach me something, even if I donât know the reason.â
[Oh! Oh!]
Please, just be quiet.
His dubious expression was about to twist.
â...Little Hero?â
Young-feng, surprised by his expression, called out to him again, but his mood didnât improve.
He had genuinely tried to help, but he didnât expect things to change so quickly.
Moreover, Young-feng bowed to him without hesitation, even though he was younger.
The sincerity in his gratitude made him feel even more uncomfortable.
Of course, there was no guarantee that Young-feng would overcome future obstacles just because he had sorted his thoughts and gained some enlightenment.
But he would be much better off than before.
He was certain of that.
It hurt.
It really hurt.
Someone had struggled to the point of death... and even died to achieve this.
And Young-feng found enlightenment from a beating in a match? In just one day? He couldnât help but feel angry.
[Brat.]
â...Yes.â
[You really seem narrow-minded. Stop it.]
â...â
Tsk.
He tried to hide his true feelings and spoke to Young-feng.
âEven if that wasnât my intention... Iâm glad you gained something.â
Young-feng smiled warmly.
While Nangong Tianjun gave a dark and eerie feeling, Young-feng felt refreshing.
Not only talented, but also well-mannered and good-looking...
...This kid also annoyed him.
[âŚThe end of an era.]
â...I used to think I was the best disciple, but seeing you, I realized thereâs a whole other world out there.â
Young-fengâs words werenât entirely wrong.
Although Guxi Bei is called the best among the younger generation, considering the age difference, Young-feng could hold his own, so he might have been stuck in his own world.
âYou must have put in efforts I canât even imagine.â
It seemed Young-feng had drawn some strange conclusions, but there was nothing to say.
He couldnât just say he had become this way because of a time loop...
He decided to let Young-feng think whatever he wanted.
âI canât just be a shameless person who only says thank you... If you ever need anything from me, Iâll do it.â
âA favor?â
A favor from Jianlong, the best disciple of Huashan...
An idea came to mind.
He had something to ask, and this was a good opportunity.
âAh, then, Young-feng Dojang, can I ask you something?â
âOf course, anything. I canât reveal the sectâs secret techniques, but...â
âNo, nothing that grand...â
What secret techniques? What would he do with them?
[What? This guy...! When it comes to Huashanâs sword...]
âWhat I want to ask...â
âYes!â
â...What generation is the current sect leader?â
â...What?â
[âŚHuh?]
âI was just curious...â
He remembered Shin No-ya asking about the current sect leaderâs generation.
He had forgotten about it because he hadnât had the chance to ask anyone, but now was a good opportunity.
â...What?â
Young-feng seemed to be malfunctioning.
He asked if he had heard correctly.
â...Is that your favor?â
âYes, Iâm asking for a favor.â
â...Oh.â
Young-feng looked slightly dazed.
Why was he reacting like that?
Wasnât it a simple favor?
âWhat did I ask that was so strange?â
He asked Shin No-ya, who had been silent for a while, and he finally spoke.
[Itâs embarrassing, donât ask.]
...Why?
In the end, Young-feng, though looking confused, granted his favor.
The current sect leader was the 16th generation.
Young-feng said he wouldnât count this as a favor and asked him to save it for next time.
Since it was a good deal, he agreed.
******************
After the match with Jianlong, the only inconvenience was that he was attracting too much attention from the Huashan sect members.
Before being called Jianlong, Young-feng was still a plum blossom sword master, albeit inexperienced.
He had defeated a first-rate martial artist, a key force of the Huashan sect, like a mouse.
And he was just a young boy who still had a lot of growing to do.
He had anticipated this when he started, but the attention was more intense than expected.
âYoung-feng disciple is on the ground? That young hero?â
âI still canât believe it. He just shattered him.â
âHe broke his arm.â
âHe must have broken his legs and arms.â
âBut Young-feng disciple was walking fine just now...?â
âMaybe not.â
â...You didnât see it.â
The rumors were spreading in a very strange way, but they would die down soon. After all, it was just a brief match.
...Probably.
He was told they would leave for Shaanxi after lunch.
Thanks to this, he had time to experiment with various things, which was not bad.
He could see Guxi Bei preparing the meal in the distance.
Since it was a long journey, there was nothing particularly grand, but it didnât matter as long as it filled his stomach.
â...Huh?â
As he got closer, he sensed a strange atmosphere.
Nangong Bia was there, naturally fitting in, and beside her, Weixueâa was picking at her food.
Eating first was something he had encouraged, so it was understandable.
The important thing was this.
Weixueâa was picking at her food.
â...Is she sick?â
And is it a serious illness?
Nangong Bia also seemed to sense something was off, her eyes slightly trembling.
But she couldnât bring herself to speak and just ate quietly.
As Nangong Bia tried to pick up some food with her chopsticks,
Weixueâa, who had been sulking, suddenly snatched it away.
...Is she sick?
It was a relief, but the problem was that every time Nangong Bia tried to eat, Weixueâa would snatch the food.
After a few times, a question mark appeared above Nangong Biaâs head.
â...??â
She tilted her head, clearly wondering what Weixueâa was doing.
Nangong Bia paused, then nodded and picked up some food with her chopsticks.
This time, Weixueâa was too late.
She looked shocked that she couldnât snatch the food.
But Nangong Bia brought the food to Weixueâaâs mouth.
âDo you want to eat...?â
No, it didnât seem like she wanted to eat...
Nangong Bia didnât seem to mind Weixueâaâs antics.
Instead, Weixueâa suddenly teared up at Nangong Biaâs action.
âSis, youâre a fool!â
She shouted and ran off.
But she didnât get far before Hongwa caught her, saying she needed to do the laundry, and dragged her away.
...What was that?
It felt like he had just watched a clumsy play.
Nangong Bia, holding her chopsticks, turned her head toward him.
Her gaze seemed to ask for an explanation, but he had no idea...
â...Donât look at me like that, I donât know either.â
He thought about it, but nothing came to mind.
Ah, maybe... puberty?
[Oh, this brat.]
He heard Shin No-yaâs voice, but he was used to his strange comments.
On the way to Shaanxi,
Weixueâa clung to him more than usual, which was a bit annoying.
...But if he pushed her away, she would really get upset, so he had to keep his mouth shut that day.