The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 16

From that day on, Uncheol's training became even more serious.

Watching him, I was convinced.

'I didn't mess up; I messed up well.'

There are two types of people.

Those who collapse under shock, and those who gain momentum from it.

'My encounter with the mountain bandit was, if you think about it, shock therapy.'

Of course, I was the latter.

Only three days remained until the martial arts competition.

Some might question how strong one could become by training during that time, but I absolutely cannot agree with that opinion.

Because training with all one's mind and heart can make a person progress even in just one dagyeong (about 15 minutes).

"One!"

"Keu-heu-heu-heup!"

"Two!"

"Hwa-ah-ah-ap!"

To my count, the senior brothers uniformly repeated sitting and standing.

It wasn't just sitting and standing.

The senior brothers were holding their beds with their heads and both hands.

"One more time!"

"Urya-ah-ap!"

Naturally, I was also doing the same training as the senior brothers, even calling out the counts.

This is why our room's senior brothers, even when they wanted to complain, couldn't easily express it.

Because I was digesting much more training than them.

Since I, the youngest and smallest in stature, was doing it, the senior brothers had no choice but to do it too.

'I just picked it up at first, but it's a surprisingly good tool.'

Still, for Wudang, they must use good beds. The wood used to make the beds was good and solid, so they were quite heavy.

Training is originally about utilizing what you have.

'If it's a bed, it'll be much easier to put something on top of it later.'

Normally, for this kind of weight training, they would attach heavy sandbags or iron lumps, but we are not in a position to make such things right now.

Anyway, as long as it has weight, there's no need to make such things.

"Senior Brother Unmi! Your right leg has no strength. If your leg gives out, you'll get hurt, so concentrate a little more!"

"Keu-eu-eu-euk!"

Unmi's legs trembled as if they were about to give out, but he miraculously didn't collapse and lifted the bed high.

Thick drops of sweat fell to the floor.

His clothes were already soaked with sweat.

The sweat that his clothes couldn't absorb was pouring onto the floor.

"Alright! One last time."

"Keu-heup!"

Everyone let out a strange cry, lifted the bed high, and then very slowly lowered the bed to the floor.

Seeing that sight, a smile involuntarily bloomed on my face.

They're better than I thought.

What I always emphasized was the lowering of an object rather than the lifting of it.

When lowering, do it slowly, feeling the weight.

This way, the bed won't get damaged, and you can build muscle twice, both when lifting and lowering.

"Heok... heok..."

"Aigoo... I'm going to die..."

The senior brothers sat on the floor, constantly gasping for breath.

Uncheol, who caught his breath first among them, asked me.

"Junior Brother, you're doing the same training as us, but you don't seem to be tired?"

"Why suddenly?"

"I always think that we're out of breath like this, but only you seem fine."

"Were you paying attention to such things?"

"It's not that I was paying attention, but I was just worried. I was wondering if it wasn't much of a training for you while you were trying to match us."

Pfft— I laughed.

Even though he looks like that, it's admirable that he thinks of me as a senior brother.

"Of course, I'm also tired."

"But how?"

"The reason I'm not gasping for breath is because I keep my mouth shut and breathe entirely through my nose."

"Breathing entirely through your nose?"

"Didn't you learn from the Martial Uncles when you first started basic training? Originally, all breathing methods are done through the nose, not the mouth."

"Th-That's right, isn't it?"

Uncheol nodded, as if recalling when he first learned the Qi Circulation and Breathing Method.

"It's the same trick. You should always breathe through your nose. This way, you can control your own breathing."

"But why haven't you told us to do that until now?"

"Of course. It's very difficult. Everyone, try closing your mouths and breathing only through your noses now."

As soon as I finished speaking, everyone closed their mouths with a hap! and began to breathe only through their noses.

At first, it seemed fine for a moment, but their faces gradually began to turn red, and then...

"Pha-ha—!"

Starting with Unmi, who had the weakest lung capacity, everyone eventually exhaled through their mouths.

"It's not easy, is it? It's incredibly difficult if you don't practice it from the beginning. But learning this breathing method doesn't suddenly make you stronger."

"But... strength training is a training that makes you stronger right away as much as you do it."

"That's right. You can't stop physical training to learn a breathing method, can you? Everyone planned to train breathing methods once they reached a certain level."

Everyone seems to have understood my meaning now, but Senior Brother Uncheol's eyes look a little different.

'As expected, that person is not an ordinary person either. He's contemplating the gap between me and him.'

His first impression wasn't very good, but he's a senior brother who is gradually growing on me.

He will probably start training to get used to nasal breathing little by little, even without me telling him to.

"Alright, alright. Now everyone go out and wash up quickly. If you stay like this, our room will smell rotten. Hurry!"

"I understand. I'll be right back."

I pushed the senior brothers out to wash up and then picked up a rag and began to wipe away the sweat they had shed.

This is something I started doing for the senior brothers a while ago.

I can't do everything, but cleaning up after training is something I can do.

It's much more efficient to save such trivial time and use it to make the senior brothers a little stronger.

'Well. The senior brothers are following surprisingly well, so it's also admirable.'

Of course, the senior brothers also eagerly wanted it (?), but I will definitely keep my promise to make them strong.

Creak—

At that moment, I heard the sound of the door opening.

I continued to wipe the floor and said, "I told you to go wash up. Did you forget something?"

"Hmph! You were so arrogant in our room, but you were quite well-mannered, weren't you?"

"Huh?"

Since it wasn't a familiar voice, I straightened my back and checked who the guest was.

And there, a person who was not very welcome was standing.

"Senior Brother Un Chi? How did you get here...?"

"Where are the other senior brothers, and why are you alone?"

"They all went to the bathhouse to wash up."

"Did you do some strange training again? As your senior brother, I'm telling you, our Wudang's martial arts cannot be learned by just training the body so ignorantly."

For a moment, I almost let out a condescending laugh, but I held it back and asked back, "Then how can I learn it?"

"You can learn it by calming your mind and gaining enlightenment through continuous contemplation of martial arts."

"Aha. Enlightenment?"

"That's right. You may not have experienced it, but once you experience that moment of enlightenment, you will understand everything I'm saying."

Un Chi put on an unpleasant expression and put on airs.

I heard from Senior Brother Uncheol that Un Chi was quite strong among our 'Un' generation.

Indeed, if he didn't have skill, he wouldn't be able to act so arrogantly.

'But I've never even heard your name.'

The fact that he's not in my memory means that he hasn't reached the ranks of the so-called peerless masters.

It's either a lack of talent or a wrong direction of effort.

In my opinion, the latter is more likely.

"I understand that, but why are you here?"

"I thought you were a well-mannered person because you were even cleaning up after your senior brothers, but what kind of disrespectful talk is that to your senior brother?"

"Ah, I understand, so what's your business?"

I said, clearly showing my annoyance.

It was actually very annoying.

I had to finish cleaning up quickly and do my own training, but the more time Un Chi took, the less time I had for my training.

"Hoo... try to avoid me as much as possible during the martial arts competition. If we meet, I won't let you off easily."

"What will you do if you don't let me off easily?"

"This bastard, to the very end?!"

I felt his legs and arms tense up, as if Un Chi was about to rush at me.

'Even better.'

No matter who I am, if I were to hit my senior brother first, I don't know what kind of rumors would spread later, so I can't make the first move.

But, if Un Chi throws the first punch at me?

'That's self-defense.'

That being said, I have no intention of getting hit.

Since it's enough to say that a counterattack I had instinctively learned came out, I also prepared the forms of Taiji Fist.

Because Taiji Fist's foundation is to deflect the opponent's attack in the first place.

Udeuk—

Strength naturally entered my fist.

However, I desperately maintained an innocent expression as if I knew nothing.

Because if he thought I had noticed he was about to attack, he might think it strange and not attack.

Swoosh—

A little bit of energy also flowed from Un Chi's body.

To think he's even trying to use internal energy, that guy doesn't seem to be in his right mind either.

I also began to raise my internal energy.

That guy, today, I will definitely educate him...

Bang—!

"Un Chi! Why are you coming out so late? Is it that hard to leave a letter and come out?!"

"Keok! S-Senior Brother!"

At that moment, the door opened violently again, and Unjihak suddenly entered our room and scolded Un Chi.

Thanks to that, Un Chi's qi and blood, which he had been gathering, seemed to have gotten a little twisted, and Un Chi gasped for breath, coughing.

I sent the internal energy I had raised back to my dantian, swallowed my regret, and said to Unjihak, "Senior Brother Jihak. What brings you here?"

A flash of light seemed to pass through Unjihak's eyes as he looked at me.

I subtly hid my right hand, which had been injecting energy, behind my back.

Only then did Unjihak look at me and say, "I was embarrassed to come myself, so I sent Un Chi on an errand, but it took too long, so I came in. Uncheol is not here now, is he?"

"Yes. I told Senior Brother Un Chi earlier, but everyone went to the bathhouse to wash up because they were sweating too much."

"If Uncheol wasn't here, I would have come myself."

He extended his hand to Un Chi, who had just caught his breath.

"Un Chi. Give it to me."

"I understand, Senior Brother."

Un Chi took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his bosom and handed it to Unjihak.

He then handed it back to me.

"What is this?"

"I had something I wanted to say to Uncheol, but I didn't have the confidence to say it to his face, so I wrote it down. Can you deliver it well?"

Unjihak, as if he saw me as a naive little kid, even smiled and asked me in a kind tone.

When I heard that, I felt a sense of unease for some reason.

"That... Senior Brother. I don't know if I should ask you this, but..."

"Why? Is there something you're curious about?"

"You're not... that kind of person, are you?"

"What kind of person?"

"Like, you like men..."

"You crazy bastard!"

I asked rather carefully, but Un Chi shouted at me.

Unjihak blocked Un Chi, who was about to rush forward, and let out a deep sigh.

"Haa... Unhwi-ya. I didn't come myself because I thought I might be misunderstood like this, even if it was one in a million. It was my fault for hoping that Un Chi would handle it quietly."

"So, you're saying it's not true?"

"How could it be?!"

In the end, Unjihak also raised his voice.

I thought it was something you could ask, but was it something to get so angry about?

"Yes. Well... I'm sorry for misunderstanding. It's just that your expression earlier was so affectionate."

"Affectionate, you say..."

"If you're done with your business, can you take Senior Brother Un Chi and leave? I'll deliver this well."

"Yes, I understand. I'm sorry for taking up your time."

Unjihak eventually took Un Chi and left the room.

I let out a monologue when I thought they had completely moved away from our room.

"Wow. He's a man of character, a man of character."

I deliberately tried to provoke him and spoke more harshly, but Unjihak didn't get angry at me.

I guess that's what you call a man of character.

"Good. There are people like that, and there are people like this. Unjihak. I like you."

Skill and potential for growth are important, but character is also important.

That's why I like him even more.

'For now, Uncheol and Unjihak will hold the center firmly.'

As I conquer each room one by one, there will eventually come a time when I can't handle the number of senior brothers who come under me (?).

Then, I'll have no choice but to choose a middle manager, and Unjihak is perfect for that role.

If I'm the whip, there must also be a carrot.

"Heh heh. One by one, they're falling into place."

I laughed without realizing it.

I haven't done anything yet, but I felt like I had taken one step closer to 'a truly strong Wudang Sect'.

(End of Chapter)