Wudang Sacred Scriptures

Time passed, and Kwak Yeon was promoted to the Gap-rank Hall.

On the day he was assigned to the Gap-rank dormitory, Seok Jangsan looked at him with an emotional expression and said,

"I never imagined you’d make it to Gap-rank with me. I really respect you."

"Respect? What are you talking about…"

Kwak Yeon blushed.

"I was just lucky."

"You can’t just chalk this up to luck."

Seok Jangsan shook his head firmly.

"You’re the only one who climbed all the way to Gap-rank without being evaluated as advanced from the start."

"I’m surprised myself. Honestly, it’s all thanks to you."

"What are you saying? I didn’t do anything. This is the result of your own hard work."

Kwak Yeon only smiled faintly at Seok Jangsan.

He wondered what kind of expression his friend would make if he admitted that it was because of him that he began longing to become a disciple of the main sect.

"Since we made it to Gap-rank with such effort, let’s make sure we become main sect disciples together."

"Definitely!"

Kwak Yeon nodded at Seok Jangsan’s words.

But to him, becoming a disciple of the main sect had already become secondary.

His true goal was to reach the ultimate state achievable through internal energy circulation.

The deeper his understanding of the Celestial Meridian Map grew, the more he was filled with curiosity about how the universe’s energy and the human body functioned as microcosms.

Of course, such a feat required the guidance of an exceptional master. To achieve that, he needed to qualify to learn the Internal Energy Ascension Method.

"So, how about we share the same dormitory?"

Seok Jangsan suggested to Kwak Yeon.

Unlike in the Eul-rank Hall, where dormitory assignments were based on skill level, the Gap-rank Hall allowed trainees to select their roommates in pairs.

"I heard the training at Gap-rank continues even inside the dormitories. We’ll need to support each other, so wouldn’t it be better to pair up with someone we’re already close to?"

Kwak Yeon thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"I don’t think I’d be much help to you."

"We can make up for any shortcomings."

"I just don’t want to be a burden to you."

Seok Jangsan frowned.

"I said it’s fine, so why are you being like this?"

Even after repeated attempts to persuade him, Kwak Yeon firmly refused.

He couldn’t shake the words of Instructor So Jin-sam from his mind.

Instead, Kwak Yeon ended up paired with Ha Gang, a trainee who, like him, had been left unpaired until the end.

Ha Gang was usually quiet and had never stood out.

Starting from the Gap-rank Hall, the training focused heavily on martial arts combat.

"Combat is the foundation of all martial arts. Until now, you’ve focused on building physical strength. The goal of the Gap-rank Hall is to completely master basic fighting techniques using that foundation."

The trainees learned various combat methods.@@novelbin@@

They practiced basic techniques such as hand strikes, footwork, leg techniques, and movement methods.

In addition, they were taught takedown techniques, joint manipulation, and unlocking techniques, among others.

Kwak Yeon had never realized there were so many ways for the human body to fight.

After a month, the head instructor made a shocking announcement.

"Starting today, you will spar during the afternoon sessions. Your sparring partners will be the ones you share a room with."

It was an extreme measure to prevent trainees from neglecting personal practice.

Since sparring partners had to live together and train side by side, there wouldn’t be a moment to slack off.

Trainees who had paired up with friends were understandably distressed.

In just a few days, the Gap-rank Hall turned into a living hell.

Being forced to fight with one’s roommate every day created an indescribable sense of misery.

At first, they merely practiced exchanging blows, but as punches started landing, resentment began to build.

The sparring matches didn’t end until a clear winner emerged.

Defeated trainees were left with a sense of humiliation.

Even the victors felt no better.

The true nightmare, however, began in the dormitory.

Living in the same room with someone you had beaten—or been beaten by—was unbearably awkward.

Eventually, one trainee couldn’t endure it any longer and protested.

"Why not just reassign the rooms randomly?"

The head instructor dismissed the request without hesitation.

"Anyone who can’t handle it is free to drop out. Trainees who fail to meet the required number of sparring matches will be automatically disqualified in the next evaluation. Matches not recognized by the instructors will not count."

This declaration left Kwak Yeon and Ha Gang in a difficult position.

"So, what should we do?"

Ha Gang asked cautiously.

"If we don’t want to get disqualified, we have no choice but to fight properly."

For Kwak Yeon, this was his first real fight.

No matter how hard he tried to remain calm, he couldn’t help but get agitated.

What was supposed to be sparring quickly turned into a brawl.

None of the combat techniques they had learned proved useful in actual fighting.

They ended up rolling on the ground, grabbing each other’s hair, and throwing wild punches.

With blood dripping from his nose, Kwak Yeon finally surrendered.

"Ha Gang wins!"

It was his first fight—and his first loss.

"Sorry."

Ha Gang offered him a towel.

"There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s not like we wanted to fight."

Though he said that, Kwak Yeon felt disheartened.

"I know you’re holding back your punches. But I don’t think that’s helping either of us."

Ha Gang’s words caught Kwak Yeon off guard.

"What do you mean?"

"If you keep losing like this, you’ll eventually drop out. And I won’t improve either."

Kwak Yeon realized it was inevitable.

The next day, he took the sparring match seriously.

"Stop!"

The match ended only when Ha Gang collapsed and passed out.

"Kwak Yeon wins!"

But Kwak Yeon felt no joy in victory.

It wasn’t just guilt toward Ha Gang.

In these endless sparring matches, someone had to lose.

That night, unable to sleep, Kwak Yeon lay awake, troubled.

Not long after, he heard the sound of Ha Gang quietly sobbing under his blanket.

*****

“I don’t know why the flames are so fierce today.”

Jang Gu-sam, the head cook, spoke as he opened his drowsy eyes.

“Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention and messed up the fire control.”

“You must have something on your mind.”

Jang Gu-sam didn’t ask what it was.

It was an unspoken rule between them—one that had never been explicitly stated but understood nonetheless.

That didn’t mean they never talked at all.

Just sitting in the same space and staring at the flames in the hearth was a conversation in itself.

They knew that their silence was a form of mutual comfort.

But today, Kwak Yeon wanted to break that unspoken rule.

“I don’t understand why I have to fight and win.”

Kwak Yeon spoke as he removed some firewood from the hearth.

“The purpose of learning martial arts is ultimately to become the victor, isn’t it? I thought I’d feel good if I won, but I didn’t.”

“Then how do you think it feels to be the loser?”

“That’s unpleasant too.”

“If you dislike both winning and losing, the answer is simply not to fight.”

“But isn’t it inevitable to fight once you’ve learned martial arts?”

Even though Kwak Yeon was young, he had a vague understanding of the martial world.

In the world of martial arts, fights broke out regularly.

Conflicts between sects persisted, even when there was no personal grudge involved.

“Then just don’t learn martial arts.”

If he were still the boy training in the Byeong-rank Hall, Kwak Yeon might have nodded at that suggestion.

But now, studying martial arts had become his deepest aspiration.

“My goal is to learn martial arts.”

Kwak Yeon admitted his honest desire to become a disciple of the main sect and master advanced techniques.

Jang Gu-sam stared at Kwak Yeon for a moment before speaking.

“I once knew someone who said martial arts were not a means but a goal. I never expected to meet another like that.”

Kwak Yeon realized that Jang Gu-sam was talking about a friend he had once shared this hearth with.

“In that case, why not stop worrying about winning or losing? Since your goal is to learn martial arts, it’s good if you win, but even if you lose, you can still learn from it.”

Hearing Jang Gu-sam’s words, Kwak Yeon suddenly realized he didn’t need to be fixated on winning or losing.

Hadn’t the head instructor said that the reason for limiting sparring partners to roommates was to help trainees quickly master fighting techniques?

If the goal was to evaluate ranks by comparing skills, there wouldn’t have been any need to restrict sparring to fixed pairs.

‘So I just need to treat the sparring matches as training to master techniques instead of worrying about winning or losing.’

However, there was a serious problem with that approach. Fighting techniques could only be mastered through intense sparring matches.

Learning to fight through theory alone would inevitably lead to brawls once actual sparring began.

It was through repeating those brawls dozens or even hundreds of times that trainees gradually grasped the techniques.

That was the very essence of “embodiment”—the reason why the trainees were forced to spar every day.

‘Isn’t there a way to master fighting techniques without relying solely on those chaotic brawls? Or perhaps a method to minimize them while still effectively mastering the techniques…?’

As Kwak Yeon pondered this, an idea suddenly struck him.

The next morning, Kwak Yeon shared his thoughts with Ha Gang.

Perhaps because of his defeat the previous day, Ha Gang spoke with a dark expression.

“I get what you’re saying, but I don’t think I can last much longer.”

Kwak Yeon shook his head firmly.

“No, we can do this—both of us. Think about it. We’re sparring partners every day, so we know each other’s weaknesses better than anyone else.”

“That’s true, but…”

“What if we teach each other?”

“We’d improve faster. But… we’re still sparring opponents.”

“You’re worried about the results, right?”

Ha Gang nodded.

“Yeah. If I keep losing, I’ll get eliminated.”

“If we both improve, we won’t be able to settle matches quickly. There are already pairs who spar for more than an hour because they’re evenly matched.”

Some pairs had started sparring properly using actual techniques instead of turning into brawls.

“But those pairs are top-level fighters. It’s not like I—or we—can reach that level so quickly.”

“There’s a way.”

Kwak Yeon’s voice was firm.

“We’ll focus on one technique at a time in each sparring session. For example, today we’ll only use hand strikes. We’ll keep going until we’re evenly matched and can’t determine a winner. Then we’ll move on to kicks, and after that, stepping techniques. Eventually, we’ll be skilled enough to use all techniques without losing balance.”

Ha Gang’s eyes lit up.

“With that method, we’d definitely improve faster.”

But his excitement quickly faded.

“Still… do you think the instructors will approve of that kind of sparring?”

“They said as long as we’re not just acting out rehearsed moves, there are no restrictions on sparring styles.”

Kwak Yeon smiled faintly.

“If you let your guard down because it’s only hand strikes, you’re going to end up with a bloody nose.”

Ha Gang grinned back.

“When it comes to hand strikes, I’m a step ahead of you. You’ll be the one with the bloody nose.”

That day, both of them ended up with bloody noses after sparring intensely for over an hour.

“Stop!”

The instructor finally called off the match.

“Ha Gang wins!”

Ha Gang extended a hand toward Kwak Yeon, who grabbed it without hesitation.

The setting sun stained their faces—still covered in blood and dust—a deep red.

From that night, Kwak Yeon and Ha Gang began training hand strikes together.

They spent entire nights correcting each other’s stances and refining their movements.

Focusing on one technique at a time proved highly effective.

Their sparring also became more structured, no longer descending into chaotic brawls.

Spending time after practice analyzing techniques further deepened their understanding of martial arts.

One day, as Kwak Yeon corrected Ha Gang’s stance, he suddenly realized something.

The movements in martial arts techniques were designed to facilitate the smooth flow of energy through the meridians.