Chapter 3-5

Two days later, just as Dan Yeryeong had assured him, Bai Shixuan felt no discomfort at all when moving his body. For the first time in two days, Bai Shixuan saw what the house looked like, and the sight left him utterly astonished. The house was simply too beautiful. He had thought the interior of the room was quite elegant and old-fashioned, but the exterior was even more stately than he had imagined. He had expected a small hut, yet what stood before his eyes was an entire manor. There was even a training ground for martial arts practice and a path where one could take walks. There was a pond as well. Faced with such an unexpectedly beautiful residence, Bai Shixuan was left speechless.

“Enough. Get a hold of yourself.”

“Ah! I’m sorry, Master.”

Bai Shixuan had grown somewhat accustomed to calling Dan Yeryeong “Mother,” and because she took such good care of him, he felt relatively comfortable around her. Jin Yuha, however, was still extremely difficult for him to deal with.

“First, take this.”

Jin Yuha pulled a thin booklet from inside his robe and handed it to Bai Shixuan. Bai Shixuan stared at the untitled book for a moment before addressing Jin Yuha.

“Um, Master.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know how to read.”

Jin Yuha stared at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“Didn’t you write your name before?”

“My name is the only thing I can write.”

Of course, he could write Xuelan’s name as well. But there was no need to mention that, so he answered as such. Jin Yuha looked at Bai Shixuan and let out a sigh.

“Then you will have to learn the Internal Cultivation Method first. Learn that martial art later, after you have learned to read. During the Mao Hour (5:00–07:00), you will practice the Internal Cultivation Method. After that, from the Chen Hour (07:00–09:00) until the Wu Hour (11:00–13:00), you will learn martial arts from me. Afterward, you will learn to read from Yeryeong until the You Hour (17:00–19:00). During the Zi Hour (23:00–01:00), you will practice the Internal Cultivation Method again. After that, you may do whatever you wish.”

“Understood.”

At Jin Yuha’s words, Bai Shixuan carefully tucked the booklet inside his robe. Once Bai Shixuan knelt down and prepared himself to listen, Jin Yuha began to speak.

“The martial art you will learn is called the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Even its name sounded powerful. Since it contained the character for demon, it was almost certainly a Demonic Art. But Bai Shixuan did not care even if it was. Jin Yuha had clearly learned a Demonic Art as well, yet Bai Shixuan could never think of him as a demonic martial artist.

“The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is a Demonic Art. Will you still learn it?”

“Yes.”

At Jin Yuha’s question, Bai Shixuan nodded firmly. Jin Yuha stared deeply into Bai Shixuan’s unwavering eyes for a while before nodding.

“The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is a Demonic Art. However, it is not called one because it torments the mind or because its practitioner becomes corrupted by demonic qi. The Orthodox Faction has always been like that. If a martial art allows someone to cultivate rapidly, they automatically call it a Demonic Art. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is the same. It allows one to accumulate Internal Energy at an extraordinarily fast rate. However, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is incomplete.”

“Incomplete?”

Bai Shixuan repeated Jin Yuha’s words in confusion. Jin Yuha nodded and began explaining again.

“That is correct. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is an incomplete martial art that can only be cultivated to the eighth stage. Of course, even with just that, I still made a name for myself throughout the Murim. But incomplete is still incomplete—unless you possess that Four Divine Beasts Martial Art.”

“The Four Divine Beasts Martial Art…….”

The Four Divine Beasts Martial Art. Something stirred painfully in Bai Shixuan’s chest. He carefully reached inside his robe and placed his hand on the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art.

“The Four Divine Beasts Martial Art contains the path that allows the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to reach complete mastery at the tenth stage. However, I will not tell you how. You must figure it out yourself.”

At Jin Yuha’s words telling him to work it out for himself, Bai Shixuan nodded. Jin Yuha surely refused to teach him because he believed Bai Shixuan was capable of discovering it on his own. If Jin Yuha believed that, then Bai Shixuan was certain he could do it. He answered without hesitation.

“I do not know much about the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art myself. However, it cannot serve as a martial form by itself.”

“Then…….”

“To put it simply, think of it as a supplementary technique. My elder brother told me that the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art borrows the qi of the White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. In other words, you borrow their power and use it yourself. If you borrow the Vermilion Bird’s qi, your sword becomes faster. Once you master it to its utmost limit, it should become twice as fast. If you borrow the Black Tortoise’s qi, your sword becomes heavier. The Namgung Clan’s swordsmanship uses the heavy sword principle. The idea is similar, except your sword becomes so heavy that the two cannot even be compared. The White Tiger’s qi makes your sword sharp like its claws. For example, they say Peak Masters can cut through a rock like that one using nothing but a tree branch. But if you borrow the White Tiger’s power, then even if you are not a Peak Master, although a branch like this would still be too much, you could cut through rock with an ordinary staff. The Azure Dragon is like an assassination sword. It conceals not only your Killing Intent, but every trace of your presence and qi. It is extremely useful against opponents who sense qi to defend themselves. That is everything I know, but it is probably the entirety of the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art.”

As Bai Shixuan listened to Jin Yuha, his head gradually began to spin. The Vermilion Bird’s qi, the Black Tortoise’s qi—he could not understand what Jin Yuha was talking about at all.

“Do not force yourself to understand it. Once you learn to read and begin practicing the Four Divine Beasts Martial Art, you will naturally comprehend it.”

“Understood.”

Bai Shixuan nodded in response to Jin Yuha’s words. Jin Yuha nodded back at him before beginning his explanation once more.

“The sword art you will learn from me is the Battle Sword. It is a sword art without any specific sword path. It was created solely to kill the enemy and survive on the battlefield. No, it cannot even truly be called swordsmanship. It is a sword that moves according to your instincts. In other words, you must strive to become capable of cutting down an opponent anytime, anywhere, and from any posture. And the other technique is the Heavenly Demon Finger.”

As he spoke, Jin Yuha extended the index finger of his right hand toward a rock. The instant Bai Shixuan thought something had shot out from Jin Yuha’s fingertip, a hole appeared in the rock he had been pointing at. Seeing a hole the size of a newborn baby’s fist bored straight through the stone, Bai Shixuan could not close his mouth.

‘So this is the power of Internal Energy. Incredible.’

Of course, it was also possible because Jin Yuha was an extraordinarily powerful master, but the more Bai Shixuan learned about Internal Energy, the more astonished he became by its power.

“Is there anything you wish to ask?”

“Um, what kind of Internal Cultivation Method is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?”

“It is an Internal Cultivation Method created solely for battle—for nothing but battle. It is a cultivation method that turns your entire body into a Spirit Pill. If you follow the training properly, once you reach the fifth stage, you will possess Internal Energy comparable to the sect leaders of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang. Once you reach the eighth stage, your entire body will become a Spirit Pill. However, simply possessing a great deal of Internal Energy does not make one strong. Of course, never running out of Internal Energy is certainly an advantage. I will explain that gradually. For now, assume the lotus position.”

“Yes!”

Bai Shixuan awkwardly crossed his legs into the lotus position and began engraving every line of the mnemonic formula Jin Yuha taught him into his mind.