novelraw Chapter 357 : The Debate of the Three Swords Beyond the Heavens
Chapter 357 : The Debate of the Three Swords Beyond the Heavens
Chapter 357: The Debate of the Three Swords Beyond the Heavens
The Successors felt a slight sense of rebellion when the Three Supreme Swords kept their eyes only on Yong Hwarin and paid them no attention.
‘Why in the world are the Three Supreme Swords showing interest in that Yong brat?’
So Yonghwa fixed his gaze on the mouths of the Three Supreme Swords.
“A brat who has done the impossible.”
“Heh, unbelievable.”
The Blue-robed Elder spoke.
“Should we tell that child?”
“Is there any need? We only need to focus on our own duel.”
When the Black-robed Elder said this, the White-robed Elder nodded.
“Jo’s words are correct. Why should we bother? Surely, there’s a reason behind it.”
The Blue-robed Elder, who was the Central Plains’ First Sword, Hwang Wando, agreed.
“Now that you say it, you’re right.”
The Black-robed Elder was the World’s First Sword, Jo Wonmuk, and the White-robed Elder was the Continent’s First Sword, Baek Gongseong.
After that, they showed no further interest in the Successors.
The reason why so many experts of the Murim had gathered to watch the debate of the Three Swords Beyond the Heavens was for one thing only.
These men dueled only with Sword Control with Qi (Igi-eogeom).
Although they had been dueling for an extremely long time, the question of whose Sword Control with Qi was superior remained undecided, and thus their debates continued to this day.
“This time, we shall surely decide who is strongest.”
“Yes. At last, our ranking will be settled.”
“I too look forward to it.”
“Hahaha! Jo, if you still haven’t grasped the Heart Sword, I will be the victor.”
“Hwang, you speak as if you’ve already grasped the Heart Sword yourself.”
“I say this because I have seized the very fringe of it.”
“Is that so? Then even if I die by your sword, I will have no regrets.”
Their conversation flowed as calmly as if old men were chatting in a village square.
The three absolute masters firmly believed that this time, the victor would finally be determined.
Each of them held two iron swords.
They drew them, then cast them into the air, thus beginning their duel.
Yong Hwarin watched their battle without blinking.
Each pair of swords darted endlessly through the sky.
The blades tangled and collided midair, and within them lay a fierce Sword Qi.
They did not use enhanced Qi but fought solely with Sword Control with Qi.
It seemed they wished to see who had grasped the deeper mysteries of it.
As they moved the swords with a speed and precision as if wielded in hand, Yong Hwarin could not believe they were human.
Though he had already reached the Qi-Vision Realm, until not long ago he had dismissed Sword Control with Qi as no more than a theoretical martial art.
Yet now, seeing it before his eyes, it was as though he had stepped into an entirely new world of martial arts.
At a glance, it looked like they were wildly thrashing two swords about, but hidden within was a strict pattern.
‘By what method are they moving their swords?’
While watching their duel, Yong Hwarin carefully observed the flow of their Qi.
Sword Control with Qi was moving the sword with Qi. Thus, it was crucial to know from which acupoint Qi was being expelled to control the sword.
‘Could it be that they release Qi outward, then fuse it with Nature’s Energy to grasp the sword with Qi?’
He looked around the elders to see if their Qi had blended with Nature’s Energy, but he found no trace of it.
‘Of course. While dueling with Sword Control with Qi, they couldn’t possibly allow their Qi to leak outward.’
Yong Hwarin tried to perceive the flow of Qi through his Qi-Vision Realm.
By stilling his mind and sharpening his focus, the flow of their Qi slowly came into sight.
And what he saw made his eyes widen in shock.
‘Impossible! Can such a thing be done?’
From the crowns of their heads burst massive streams of Qi.
‘That’s not Qi Threads (Gisa). How can such thick currents of Qi form? The crown of the head is merely the Crown Point (Baekhoe Acupoint). From a single acupoint, such torrents of Qi should be impossible.’
This sight strayed far from all established martial theory.
While others were entranced by the flying swords, Yong Hwarin alone fixed his attention on the crowns of the three elders, sinking into thought.
‘So… to accomplish Sword Control with Qi, Qi must be expelled from the Crown Point above all other acupoints. Since the sword floats in the air, that point is indeed the closest.’
Realizing one secret of Sword Control with Qi filled him with joy.
‘But what method could possibly allow one to release Qi of such thickness from the Crown Point? If I could learn that, perhaps I too could use Sword Control with Qi like the Three Supreme Swords.’
Normally, the channels linking acupoints were as thin as threads.
Qi flowed along these thread-like passages.
Though with higher cultivation the channels widened, they grew at most only two or three times thicker than their natural size.
Some mistakenly thought these channels were as thick as a finger, but that was ignorance of their true nature.
Even the acupoints themselves were not as large as nails but tiny like millet grains. Only as one’s cultivation deepened did they toughen and expand slightly, so they could withstand greater currents of Qi.
The meridians were like threads winding all throughout the body.
If one spoke in metaphor, the body was like a loom, with the Eight Extraordinary Meridians winding around it like fine silk.
Thus, the idea that from the Crown Point could burst a stream of Qi as thick as a finger was inconceivable.
This was why Yong Hwarin had once doubted Sword Control with Qi — because thread-like Qi could only move swords to such limited extents.
But if it was a torrent of Qi, the story changed.
It was like seizing a sword with a whip and swinging it.
Controlling a sword with a thread-like current of Qi and with a whip-like stream of Qi naturally differed in might.
The duel with Sword Control with Qi was, in truth, rather plain.
Though the sight of swords dancing together in the air was a spectacle, the men themselves stood still, and so the dynamism was lacking.
Then the swords clashed all at once in midair, resounding with thunderous noise.
At the sound like ten Little Thunderbolts exploding, the three elders staggered back.
And then, they began slashing at each other’s bodies.
The blades weaving before their chests revealed lessons to be grasped with every movement.
At one moment, both the Blue-robed Elder and the White-robed Elder focused their swords upon the Black-robed Elder.
The balance between the three broke, and two of them began to press one alone.
Unable to withstand the combined assault, the World’s First Sword Jo Wonmuk was sent tumbling, his clothes shredded by the Continent’s First Sword Baek Gongseong.
Once the World’s First Sword fell, the Blue-robed and White-robed Elders clashed once more.
It seemed they had decided to subdue the Black-robed Elder first, then settle the outcome between themselves.
Kwaaang!
‘At last, the outcome is decided.’
The Blue-robed Elder stood tall, while the White-robed Elder’s white robes were stained crimson with blood.
‘Ah, so the debate of the Three Supreme Swords ends with the victory of the Central Plains’ First Sword Hwang Wan.’
The Blue-robed Elder turned toward his two injured comrades.
“Now, our debates are no longer needed.”
The White-robed Elder spoke.
“Hahaha, Hwang, you truly did grasp the fringe of the Heart Sword, as you claimed. Congratulations.”
Yong Hwarin had yet to comprehend even the mysteries of Sword Control with Qi, and so he was shocked when they began speaking of the Heart Sword.
‘So there truly exists a realm higher than Sword Control with Qi?’
As he stared at them in surprise, white sheets of paper fluttered from the bosom of the fallen World’s First Sword Jo Wonmuk.
The first to catch one was Cheong Mong, who muttered after glancing at it.
“This… it’s the World’s First Sword’s martial arts secret manual.”
At those words, the Successors scrambled madly to seize the hundreds of flying pages.
But Yong Hwarin ignored them all, keeping his eyes fixed on the collapsed World’s First Sword.
“Brother, we should pick up the manual as well.”
It was, after all, the secret manual of masters revered as the Three Swords Beyond the Heavens.
Feeling stifled by Yong Hwarin’s disregard, Jong Seok spoke.
“Sworn brother, such things are useless. To chase after manuals after witnessing Sword Control with Qi—it is like ignoring the finest wine before you and chewing on bamboo leaves instead.”
Jong Seok then realized from Yong Hwarin’s words.
‘So my sworn brother has gained an enlightenment of such value that manuals no longer interest him.’
As Yong Hwarin approached the World’s First Sword, Jong Seok followed. But Mo Biyoung tugged at Jong Seok’s sleeve from behind.
“Lord Jong, wait a moment.”
Jong Seok halted and watched Yong Hwarin.
Yong Hwarin went to the Black-robed Elder, who had suffered the gravest internal injury.
“Senior, may I infuse you with Qi?”
The Black-robed Elder smiled faintly.
“While the others scramble for my manual, you have come to tend to me?”
“My Qi is peculiar—it will aid your wounds.”
“Is that so? Then try infusing me.”
When Yong Hwarin reached for his wrist pulse, the elder shook his head.
“No, not there. Infuse my Crown Point instead. My Upper Dantian has been damaged and requires healing.”
“Then forgive my imposition.”
But as Yong Hwarin placed his hand upon the Crown Point to inject Qi, he suddenly froze and looked at the World’s First Sword in shock.
“This… impossible!”
“What is it?”
“Senior’s crown… it’s as if—!”
“As if what? Ah! You were startled because my crown feels soft, yes?”
“How could it be like this?”
“It is necessary to accomplish Sword Control with Qi. A part I myself had long forgotten.”
Shuddering, Yong Hwarin asked,
“Have you named this realm after attaining it?”
“I have. Though it was so long ago, the name escapes me… what was it…? Ah, yes. I named it Akgo (渥固).”
Yong Hwarin dropped heavily to the ground in shock.
“Akgo… Akgo…”
To him, that name was not unfamiliar.
Akgo was directly tied to the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra (Taiji Xuantian Jing).
The sutra stated clearly that to comprehend its final three stages, the Realm of Life and Death, one must first understand Akgo.
For long Yong Hwarin had pondered what Akgo meant, never discovering the answer—until now, as his hand touched the World’s First Sword’s Crown Point.
“Why such astonishment?”
The World’s First Sword, ignorant of the matter, simply looked on in puzzlement.
When Yong Hwarin then sat in meditation, the elder gave a hollow laugh.
“What an amusing child.”
Thus, the World’s First Sword unwittingly stood guard over him.
And at last, Yong Hwarin realized what Akgo was.
‘Akgo means to fold the thumb inward, grasping it with the other fingers—just like a newborn’s clenched fist. Heh… now I see why Zhang Sanfeng said Akgo must be grasped to reach the Realm of Life and Death. Akgo was the sign of recreating the Fontanelle.’
The Fontanelle was the soft spot atop an infant’s head, pulsing with breath, before it hardened with age.
‘So Akgo was but another way of pointing to the Fontanelle. These three elders could unleash finger-thick torrents of Qi from the Crown Point only because of this Fontanelle.’
Exhilaration coursed through Yong Hwarin as he grasped the method of achieving Sword Control with Qi.
‘But how can one create a Fontanelle? Only infants have it, and adults lose it as they grow. How can it be formed anew? Would it be possible through Body Reformation?’
His thrill gradually ebbed beneath the weight of doubt.
‘Even so, this knowledge is truly a miraculous encounter. Had I not met the World’s First Sword, I may never have discovered it, even unto death.’
Opening his eyes, he bowed his head to the elder still beside him.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Because of you, I have realized much.”
“I don’t know what it is, but I’m glad.”
“May I ask one thing?”
“Speak. If it is not too difficult, I shall answer.”
“How did you create the Fontanelle? Only infants possess it—how can an adult have it?”
Jo Wonmuk, the World’s First Sword, regarded him silently, then smiled faintly.
“If I tell you, you may stray onto the wrong path. Only by discovering it yourself can you truly step into Akgo. My way is mine alone. You must find yours.”
The World’s First Sword spoke.
“To fall into Qi Deviation is to seize what is not yours but belongs to another. And in such a pure and supreme realm, not even a single strand of another’s attainment can be mixed in. Do you understand my words?”
Yong Hwarin nodded.
“I understand.”
“Well, one attuned with nature such as you would understand.”
With that, the Black-robed Elder rose and walked away.
And with a single step, the World’s First Sword vanished from sight.
Yong Hwarin bowed deeply toward the place where the World’s First Sword had disappeared, as if paying respects to a teacher.
A moment later, the voice of the World’s First Sword lingered in his mind.
–I feel I must tell you this. You are truly a Hidden Dragon. Do not forget you carry the spirit of the dragon.
At the vague words, Yong Hwarin tilted his head.
It seemed merely the encouragement of a senior toward a promising junior, and so he did not dwell on it.
His mind was already too preoccupied with pondering how to create the Fontanelle.
Looking around, he saw others feverishly reading the secret manuals of the World’s First Sword.
‘Even Jeong Hang and Wun Mang are no different.’
No matter how disciplined their minds, not even such geniuses could ignore the World’s First Sword’s manuals.
Cheong Mong and Myung Ok were the same, nodding ceaselessly as they studied them.
Even the successors of the Three Demonic Heavens were no exception.
The only ones who did not read the manuals were Yong Hwarin, Mo Biyoung, and Jong Seok.
“Did you gain any insights from the debate of the Three Supreme Swords?”
Yong Hwarin asked Jong Seok.
“My realm is too shallow, so I gained nothing. It was merely a spectacle one could never see elsewhere.”
“It will serve you in the future.”
Mo Biyoung quietly asked.
“Did Young Valley Lord gain something?”
She was curious, for she had seen him even enter meditation.
“Not now, but in the future, a day will come when I shall show the enlightenment I gained.”
“I look forward to it.”
Hearing Yong Hwarin’s words spoken with a smile, Mo Biyoung thought to herself.
That her Young Valley Lord would one day surpass the Three Supreme Swords.
For she knew that such a smile was one he wore only when he was most confident.
When Yong Hwarin descended from Jungeuk Peak, many martial artists fixed their eyes on him.
They wished to hear of the duel of the Three Supreme Swords.
One finally gathered the courage to ask.
“Yong Sohyeop, did you watch the debate of the Three Supreme Swords?”
“Yes.”
“Oh!”
At his words, all eyes and ears turned to him.
“How was their duel?”
“Did no one else tell you?”
“They merely passed us by.”
A martial artist replied with a disappointed look.
Yong Hwarin was willing to share a few words for their sake.
But when he saw Namgung Yu running toward him in haste, he closed his mouth.
“Hwarin! You must come with me right now.”
“To where?”
Urgency was written on Namgung Yu’s face.
“San Bi of the Nine-Serpent Sabre and Lady Shangguan are about to duel. What’s worse, Peng Giok has joined as well—it looks like a life-and-death battle will erupt.”
“What?”
Yong Hwarin too had lamented upon hearing the misfortune of the Shangguan family.
‘So Shangguan Mijong has come seeking San Bi for revenge.’
Shangguan Mijong had ascended Jungeuk Peak in search of San Bi, who had ruined her father and son, even though her mother Ha Yanggyo had tried to stop her.
Yong Hwarin had stayed longer on Jungeuk Peak than the others, about the time of one incense stick, as he organized his thoughts on Sword Control with Qi.
Had he descended with the others, he might have discovered Shangguan Mijong and stopped her.
“Where are they now?”
As Namgung Yu led the way, Yong Hwarin followed close behind.