“Kuaak!”
Seol-Hwi, lost in thought for a moment, sat down on the ground.
He made a bold move, but the thunder energy managed to break through the defense shield and destroy his body.
To Seol-Hwi, who was trembling, Jin Mu asked, appearing satisfied yet concerned,
“This, did I use too much force right from the start?”
Was it because he did not want to end the fight on a bad note? But after a while, Seol-Hwi calmly responded,
“Phew… for a start, it seems like a good thing.”
Clench
Seol-Hwi, hit by lightning, slowly got up, holding his trembling body.
“Just now… didn’t you get hit by the lightning strike?”
When Jin Mu saw that, his face went stiff.
“Right.”
“But?”
“…As you can see. It was worth trying.”
Crumble. Crack!
Seol-Hwi still felt the lightning coursing through his body, but he remained calm.
It certainly seemed like he had been shocked, but on closer inspection, it did not seem that severe.
This surprised Jin Mu even more.
The power of thunder qi that passed through Seol-Hwi’s heart would seep through the dantian. Despite infiltrating the body, it got blocked.
Did the Taiji just embrace the thunder qi?
The Clear Wind Cultivation technique that Seol-Hwi was learning was influenced by the Taiji and the cultivation as such.
Thanks to this, the thunder qi that pierced his body was blocked by it and disappeared as if evaporating.
“Are you… learning martial arts similar to thunder qi?”
“Well… from what I have heard, it could be so.”
When Jin Mu asked, Seol-Hwi carefully answered.
Embrace and make things harmonious. That was Taiji.
The principles of Taiji did not destroy the forces in the world but rather embraced them. It was a result of tolerance. This was also the strength that Wudang had.
“All things in the world are Taiji, so how can thunder qi not follow the principles of Yin and Yang?”
“Nonsense!”
“Then I will start from now.”
Seol-Hwi took a deep breath and focused his mind.
Tak. Tak. Tak.
Occasional contractions ran through his body, shocked by the thunder qi. However, as there were no injuries to his veins or muscles, there was no difficulty in distributing energy.
Shhh
White energy naturally formed at the tip of his sword.
“W-white energy!?”
“Oh my! The peak of Taiji Wisdom Sword!”
“Is that really it? Ohhhh!”
As white energy began to emanate from Seol-Hwi’s sword, the entire crowd reacted with excitement. The Hye disciples showed the most enthusiasm.
White energy was the essence of the Taiji Wisdom sword. Every Wudang practitioner aspired to reach that level.
Witnessing a 30-year-old Taoist unleash such a spectacle—
“The essence of the Taiji Wisdom Sword… the feeling of helplessness will vanish.”
Chichichick
Jin Mu, recognizing Seol-Hwi’s martial arts prowess, lowered the sword to the ground, and it began to spin.
Lightning sparks crackled and danced around. Seol-Hwi gazed at him.
Euk!
In an instant, he vanished like a mirage.
“The speed has increased!”
“Cloud Floating Footwork!”
It appeared as if he were soaring into the sky, then suddenly descending to the ground, eliciting cheers for his footwork throughout the hall.
A technique where the body lightened, progressing to heaviness, and the steps in the air felt like walking on clouds.
Purr. Purr.
However, there was one thing the spectators did not realize. The illusion created was not merely an illusion; it was reality.
That—
Chak!
Seol-Hwi moved so swiftly that their eyes struggled to keep up with the white energy flowing in.
“Huh!”
Jin Mu held the sword steady, unwavering in his focus.
Thunder began to spread around, colliding with the white energy.
Euk!
The interior was bathed in blinding white light. Some of the Hye disciples were motionless.
“Ah…”
“…”
Taiji was seamlessly blending attack and defense.
When Taiji gained the upper hand, a rainbow-like color would emerge, and the surrounding forces would dissipate. However, that was not the case at the moment.
The thunder qi suppressed the white energy and surged towards Seol-Hwi.
“Hmm…”
Pjjkkkk!
Seol-Hwi’s expression tensed.
Surprisingly, the Taiji flow could not overcome the opponent’s thunder qi.
Did I misjudge…?
He quickly raised the white energy on his sword to block the piercing thunder qi.
“Tsk!”
Despite Seol-Hwi’s best efforts, it was too late this time; he could not dispel the thunder qi.
In essence, the opponent’s thunder qi had already reached a formidable level by reacting swiftly to the fastest human movements between earth and heaven.
“Kuaak!”
Nevertheless, it hit. Hard. This time, the pain was several times more intense than before.
It was excruciating.
Crackle!
His flesh sizzled, and his clothes charred. The thunder qi possessed a quantity and destructive force that was challenging to gauge with the Clear Wind Cultivation Technique.
Seeing Seol-Hwi trembling, Jin Mu spoke coldly,
“This is just the beginning. The power will increase. You will realize that no martial arts in the world can withstand this.”
“Ugh…”
Seol-Hwi recoiled. He raised his sword again, his expression puzzled.
What is happening?
Was it all a mirage?
When Jin Mu unleashed thunder, Seol-Hwi believed he “could handle it,” thinking it was manageable and could be easily deflected. He swung his sword with that belief.
But Jin Mu’s thunder was different up close.
It penetrated. When he used the white energy to block it, he suddenly sensed something was amiss.
Where did I make a mistake? Am I misunderstanding something?
“If you don’t block this thunder qi properly, you will die.”
As Seol-Hwi grappled with the conflicting sensations and the impending attack, an unfamiliar voice rang out.
Tsssss. Chaaak!
As Jin Mu raised his sword, ten streams of thunder qi surged forth from it.
They coalesced, forming a menacing spectacle. A sudden realization struck him.
“The thunder qi is wind-based. What if we obstruct its path to slow it down?”
Once again, an eerie sensation enveloped him. Despite the warrior’s instinctual fear of death, ten rays of thunder qi emanated, seemingly uncontrollable. However, Seol-Hwi felt differently.
I believe I can manipulate it…
His observations and thoughts diverged. The wind’s flow. The intensity of flames. The contracting and expanding ice qi attacks.
By combining these techniques, he could potentially thwart it. A realization dawned upon him. This was an overwhelming situation.
Chak! Rumble!
“…!”
Jin Mu unsheathed his sword. Thunder qi crackled as Seol-Hwi instinctively extended his hand and swung his sword.
Chack!
A gust of wind howled.
Chaaakkk!
Lightning surged from Seol-Hwi. And suddenly—
“Euk!”
Seol-Hwi’s hand reached out, attempting to intercept it, as a chill filled the air.
The energies intertwined.
And crackle!
The potent lightning, which had struck the ground, dissipated as if it were an illusion. Jin Mu, witnessing this, was left dumbfounded.
“This… what is this!”
Crack!
Startled, he swung his sword once more, generating thunder qi, yet the outcome remained unchanged.
Multiple lightning strikes.
Tang! Tang! Tang!
All futilely redirected towards Seol-Hwi, striking the ground.
Meanwhile, a cold air current seemed to entwine in the atmosphere.
Euk!
“Ughhh!”
Instead, the white energy emanating from Seol-Hwi surged towards Jin Mu.
No reaction could be done. It was moving several times faster and stronger than the sword.
It flew without any more interference and directly hit Jin Mu on the shoulder.
Euk!
“Kuak!”
Blood splashed from Jin Mu’s body and fell to the ground.
There was a moment of silence.
Chak!
Jin Mu stood up again. Blood was gushing out of his shoulder, and he held onto it as he said,
“Just now… what did you do?”
The voice trembled with shock.
He was already using the flow of thunder as freely as if he were moving his hands and feet normally. But just now, with a single gesture, Seol-Hwi managed to make all of that seem like a lie.
And the white energy almost took his head.
“…That is Taiji.”
“Don’t lie! Isn’t that what you learned from the outside?”
Jin Mu shouted with wide eyes.
Although it was vague, he clearly saw it.
The cold air flowed from Seol-Hwi’s hands. A pillar of transparent ice condensed there. What abilities did Taiji have to do this?
Had he not trained himself in Taiji before tapping into the outside source for strength?
Because of that, Jin Mu was more confident than anyone else that this was not just Taiji.
“…I cannot explain this well. But it is definitely Taiji. It seems that Taiji and the other energies are followed and guided.”
“Haa! What kind of omnipotent power is Taiji holding? What you just used is clearly the internal energy of another source! It has nothing to do with the teachings of Wudang!”
Seol-Hwi’s face contorted at Jin Mu’s words.
What he said was not wrong. What Seol-Hwi just used was the arts of the Qingcheng Sect. It is the Clear Wind. And the one which took down the thunder qi was the Four Peak Demonic Martial Arts of Ice.
“I already told you, it cannot be explained. Still, it is clearly Taiji.”
This vague hunch.
What Seol-Hwi displayed was this ability, which was no different from that of Jin Mu.
The strength of an outside force.
But the method and the manifestation were precisely how Taiji was done. Even though he used the Clear Wind and the demonic arts, he was confident he could create something different and alter the lightning caused by Jin Mu a moment ago.
Whether it’s an external force or something else, what emerges in the event is strength. Even though thunder is distinct, ultimately, it’s a force of nature.
Internal energy and enlightenment residing in the body and mind shifted.
Explaining how it occurred was truly challenging for Seol-Hwi too. It was akin to describing how hands and legs moved.
Just as it was hard to elucidate the walking pattern and how to balance weight on the body.
“Perhaps it’s the efficiency of the Complete Sword.”
“Puahahaha! Kuakakaka!”
Jin Mu burst into laughter at Seol-Hwi’s words. He spoke for a while, his eyes burning with anger.
“That’s amusing. Are you expecting me to believe this now?”
He smiled, a situation he could not comprehend. It all seemed impossible.
Due to this, his way of speaking also altered. It might be unfair to Seol-Hwi, but Jin Mu could not accept it now.
“I will kill you. You bastard!”
The sense of ‘I have been betrayed here’ was evident to Jin Mu, and Seol-Hwi understood that, so he remained silent.
Because I move slowly, the other person’s movement seems faster, that’s how this feels.
Taiji represented Yin and Yang, lightness and heaviness, and speed and slowness, all the opposing laws in the world.
The reason the Complete Sword could subdue the thunder qi was due to the slow sword technique.
It was because the sword turned slower.
In essence, something swift turned light.
By decelerating, you make the opponent feel like wind, and by slowing down, you make yourself heavy as a rock. How can weightless lightning push away a heavy rock?
Simple principles of how opposition features work, and the complex principles involved. Although Jin Mu did have a limit to internal energy, what Seol-Hwi used a little while back was energy higher than his.
The power of enlightenment, seeing the universe and all things moving. How can that happen?
How to explain it?
“Huh! Do not be so confident now. I will crush you down!”
As he looked at him with a bit of a sad feeling, Jin Mu raised the sword with a tired face.
“What has been shown so far is the power of this stage of thunder qi. From here, there are three steps of thunder qi which I recently acquired. Handle that too.”
“…?”
Seol-Hwi tilted his head at this. And then he thought of something. A person who expressed the third ability and each step.
Shhhh
Once again, Jin Mu created thunder qi.
It was a little different from before. Rather than gathering all the thunder qi, the power was concentrated on the tip of the sword.
And at that moment—
What would happen to the thunder energy, which he would soon unleash at his strongest?
Seol-Hwi noticed it without realizing it.
Shhh
Seol-Hwi’s sword pointed to the floor. Only then did he truly find out something.
Right. I have… already gone past Peak Master.
The law of the world, and the strength of others. It was clearly visible now. All the harmony in the world could be seen at a glance and adjusted at will.
That was also the reason.
