Wudang Sacred Scriptures

Kwak Yeon began twisting his body sideways. He slipped a little bit, but every time he did, he stopped to press himself against the rock.

Finally, when he was almost at the edge of the cliff, he was able to position his body diagonally.

Hoo!

Exhausted, Kwak Yeon took a moment to focus on his Danjeon breathing.

Thanks to the calmness in his mind, his energy quickly returned.

He moved not in a straight line, but in the shape of the character “ji” (之).

This allowed him to move using his limbs rather than just his cheek. He first gained traction with his abdomen and chest, then moved his limbs. Once his limbs were firmly attached, he detached his abdomen and chest and pulled his body forward.

As he did so, his breathing became naturally longer, and with it, his strength grew.

Why is this? Usually, the more effort I put in, the faster my breath should be.

Having studied the human meridian system, Kwak Yeon knew that strength came from the lungs.

Thus, when overexerting himself, hyperventilation was inevitable.

But now, he was unconsciously taking longer, more controlled breaths.

Ah! It’s because I’ve developed the habit of naturally stabilizing my breathing through Danjeon breathing.

Kwak Yeon now understood why the instructors placed such importance on Danjeon breathing.

“Breathing should neither be insufficient nor excessive.”

Breathing is the origin of life.

The vital energy of the body depends on the breath.

As he adjusted his breathing and moved his body, he was able to exert even more strength than before.

Furthermore, as he moved diagonally, the downward force was dispersed, making his efforts more effective.

How long had he climbed like this?

Finally, his hand grasped a rocky ledge.

Kwak Yeon firmly held onto the ledge and pulled himself up.

“…!”

Kwak Yeon saw Chief Instructor Kang Ik-yu standing, holding a long rope.

“Could you step aside, please?”

At Kwak Yeon’s words, Kang Ik-yu quickly moved aside.

Looking at Kwak Yeon’s battered body, with his cheek and upper body scraped and bleeding, Kang Ik-yu felt his heart swell with emotion.

This was the first time anyone had passed the cursed section of Jeol-ae Peak.

The weakest child in the Byeong-rank had done it.@@novelbin@@

“Hurry up.”

Kwak Yeon slowly made his way up the ridge, and Kang Ik-yu watched him with a faint mist in his eyes.

Kwak Yeon finally reached the summit of Jeol-ae Peak.

“Seventh!”

The instructor guarding the summit called out.

Kwak Yeon realized that he was the seventh to reach the peak.

He saw several other trainees sprawled out, exhausted, on the summit.

Among them, Seok Jangsan stood up and greeted Kwak Yeon with a bright smile.

“I knew you’d make it!”

“…”

“But why do you look like that?”

“It’s just a scratch.”

Kwak Yeon responded nonchalantly and continued.

“Can you move aside for a second?”

Seeing Kwak Yeon’s serious expression, Seok Jangsan quickly stepped back.

Kwak Yeon moved toward the sprawled trainees, or more specifically, toward Ha Gang.

Ha Gang’s face turned red.

Kwak Yeon spoke.

“Brace your abdomen.”

“……Kwak Yeon.”

“Understand this. If I don’t do this, I don’t think I’ll be able to see you again.”

“Kwak Yeon… I’m so sorry… Cough!”

Kwak Yeon’s fist landed on Ha Gang’s abdomen.

The force was so strong that Ha Gang collapsed, gagging violently.

Gurk…!

The other trainees stared at Kwak Yeon in shock.

The instructor saw this and shouted.

“What are you doing?!”

Kwak Yeon faced the instructor and spoke.

“I’ve paid back my debt. I wanted to shake it off before going down Jeol-ae Peak.”

Seeing Kwak Yeon’s pitiful appearance and resolute gaze, the instructor spoke.

“I don’t know what history you two have, but no more fighting will be tolerated.”

“…”

“Ha Gang!”

Ha Gang, having spat up a lot of bile, staggered to his feet.

“Do you owe Kwak Yeon anything? If so, now’s your chance to settle it.”

“……No.”

“Good! Then leave all past grudges behind here. Once you go to the Main Sect, you’ll have to live under strict discipline.”

Seok Jangsan pulled Kwak Yeon aside.

“You were really close to danger. Using violence in front of the instructor like that.”

“I don’t care! I couldn’t stand it otherwise. And this is for Ha Gang too.”

“What happened?”

“…”

“Ugh, better to die than suffer.”

When Kwak Yeon remained silent, Seok Jangsan shook his head.

“Anyway, you can’t be stopped. The most gentle guy can sometimes become the most vicious. It’s impossible to figure you out. So which one are you?”

“I’m neither.”

“Then?”

“I decided I’m done with being taken advantage of after being sold to the school.”

Seok Jangsan clicked his tongue.

“You know that’s incredibly dangerous, right?”

“I know!”

Kwak Yeon nodded.

“And I also know that if I’m weak, I’ll be taken advantage of. But I don’t want to keep avoiding things.”

Seok Jangsan spoke with concern.

“They say the Main Sect is nothing like here. This could be serious.”

But he couldn’t bring himself to tell Kwak Yeon how much more difficult it would be with the disciples from the Main Sect.

The barrier of Wudang was far greater than Jeol-ae Peak.

“Eighth!”

The instructor’s shout broke the heavy silence that had settled over Jeol-ae Peak.

“The final exam is over, ring the bell!”

The bell began to toll across Jeol-ae Peak.

Kwak Yeon felt mixed emotions.

The tolling bell was a celebration for the eight who had been promoted, but for the rest of the trainees still hanging on the cliff, it was a sound of despair.

He himself could have easily become one of them.

Kwak Yeon wasn’t entirely happy.

From the summit of Jeol-ae Peak, the jagged peaks of Wudang Mountain seemed so close, as if he could reach out and touch them.

When he first arrived at the school, they had seemed so distant that he doubted they even existed.

****

The day had arrived for the eight selected trainees to leave the school.

The instructors and assistants were all gathered, standing in formation in front of the schoolmaster’s door.

This was a show of respect for the disciples of the Main Sect, but also a recognition of the trainees' hard work in completing the rigorous training under the schoolmaster's strict guidance.

"You have been selected through your efforts, so take pride in it. But remember, you have only laid the foundation of martial arts through physical training," said Chief Instructor Kang Ik-yu, looking at each of the eight trainees before continuing.

"Training at the Main Sect will be far beyond what you have experienced here. Keep a firm resolve. I sincerely wish for your boundless development."

With these words, the instructors and assistants clapped in unison.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Kwak Yeon felt his chest tighten with emotion.

It felt like leaving a home he had grown attached to.

The strict instructors and assistants had undeniably helped him grow.

There had been painful farewells as well. He could still clearly see the faces of the children he had left behind, including Mae Jang-so.

They had no choice but to part ways, each heading down a different path.

Kwak Yeon decided he would never forget them.

Especially his grandfather-like figure, Jang Noya, who crossed his mind more than ever.

How happy would he have been if he could see me now?

He once again felt the frustration of being powerless, when he couldn’t do anything because of his lack of strength.

If he had power, he could have stopped such unjust events.

To gain that power, there was only one way.

Since he had no background in the martial world, becoming a master in martial arts was the only path available to him.

And now, he had passed through this first major gate.

Kwak Yeon followed behind Chief Instructor Kang Ik-yu as they left the schoolmaster’s door.

With applause from the instructors and assistants, it felt like a modest yet grand farewell party for Kwak Yeon.

It was a moment that made him forget the hardships and made his heart race.

Now, he understood why Chief Instructor Kang Ik-yu had insisted on such a ceremony.

The instructors and assistants had often scolded and berated them harshly.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

The sound of applause seemed to wash away all the old emotions.

With hearts lifted, everyone began their journey up Wudang Mountain. Finally, they reached the famous Haegyeomji (解劍池).

"From here, Haegyeomji is what can be considered the heart of the Wudang Sect," Chief Instructor Kang Ik-yu's words caused the trainees to tense up.

The Wudang Sect, with its numerous scattered Taoist temples, did not have a single gate.

At the end of the stone bridge crossing Haegyeomji, there stood an ancient tree.

Gwaegyeomsu (掛劍樹)!

Martial artists, when crossing the stone bridge, would untie their weapons and hang them on the branches of this ancient tree.

This was a show of utmost respect for the Wudang Sect.

Although no one monitored them, it was a rule followed by those visiting the Wudang Sect.

The trainees felt somewhat disappointed.

Contrary to the famous and grand name, Haegyeomji was just a small pond. But that wasn’t all.

They had expected someone to come out to greet them since it was called the entrance to the Wudang Sect, but there wasn’t even a shadow of a Taoist wearing the Taoist robes.

Their disappointment grew as they climbed the steep stairs to the gates of the Wudang Sect, known as Namamgung (南岩宮).

The Taoists there didn’t even spare a glance at them.

Kwak Yeon wondered if perhaps his expectations had been raised too high because of the grand farewell at the schoolmaster’s.

"Are you disappointed?" Seok Jangsan asked.

"A little," Kwak Yeon honestly replied.

"This is the Wudang Sect," Seok Jangsan said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kwak Yeon asked.

"We are nothing here. The Taoists here are all disciples of the direct line. Disciples like us, the ordinary ones, are as light as air here," Seok Jangsan explained.

"…?"

"The Wudang Sect is a prestigious, orthodox sect. It is built on a strict hierarchy, and everything here is about the master-disciple relationship. So, this is all part of the experience," Seok Jangsan added.

"You mean this mistreatment is intentional?" Kwak Yeon asked.

"We don’t even have the luxury of having things intentionally done to us," Seok Jangsan replied.

"…?"

"You might just end up training the basics to death without advancing."

Seok Jangsan spoke with a serious expression.

"Still, in the martial world, we’ll get somewhere, but it won’t be enough to make an impact in your family. That’s true for me too."

"Honestly, that’s not what I want."

The difficult trial had been passed because of the grand dream Kwak Yeon held.

"Then, there’s only one way—stand out and become a direct disciple. It’d be even better to become a disciple with a Taoist name, but that’s like trying to grab stars from the sky."

"Is it that hard to get a Taoist name?"

"To become a pillar of the Wudang Sect, you need to receive a Taoist name and become a Taoist. Otherwise, you can’t make it. The rest will just be ordinary disciples, becoming immortals in the secular world."

"…?"

"Think about it. They won’t give the vital teachings of Wudang to just anyone."

Seeing the indifferent atmosphere on Wudang Mountain, Kwak Yeon felt a wall.

The massive wall of being from a prestigious sect.

Chief Instructor Kang Ik-yu led the trainees to a secluded spot at the foot of Samnyeongbong, where they would be training for the next year. It was a place called Yeongmudang (英武堂).

"This is where the new disciples from the schoolmaster’s line train. For the next year, you will learn the basics of martial arts here."

Although it was just the basics, the fact that they would be learning martial arts made Kwak Yeon excited.

He had built knowledge from studying the human meridian system, and now, he would learn martial arts techniques he had only dreamed of.

He was curious to see if the martial arts he had imagined would match the reality.

As he began to understand the techniques, he realized that the movements were designed to open up the meridians. He was eager to confirm whether his realization was correct.