Yi-gang put his will into his fist just once.

A smile inadvertently surfaced on his lips, but an overexerted Yi-gang fell and lay down on the spot. Unbelievably, when he awoke from a profound sleep, the bright full moon was already hanging in the sky.

「I almost died.」

Turning his eyes, the Immortal Divine Sword was sitting on the sword.

“…You are already dead, how can you die?”

「I almost attained enlightenment1. That’s what I mean.」

Yi-gang recalled the situation just before he collapsed. Indeed, the Great Yin Flow that the Immortal Divine Sword had completed was mysterious.

Compared to what he had previously learned, it was easily understandable yet profound.

It was especially beneficial because the Immortal Divine Sword personally guided him in detail.

‘Immerse in selflessness and forget the flesh. Imagine that you are dead. Your body rots and crumbles into soil, bones corrode and scatter, and all that remains is your will.’

Surprisingly, following that advice was not difficult. It was because Yi-gang had the experience of dying before.

In the end, Yi-gang was able to harbor will in his fist.

He remembered even the moment when his fist tapped the abdomen of the Immortal Divine Sword, and it screamed.

“…Are you okay?”

「Hmm, originally, no matter how enlightened2 the descendant is, it is not so easy to attain enlightenment3. It happened because I was off guard. It won’t happen again in the future.」

Fortunately, the body of the Immortal Divine Sword, which had been wide open, looked fine. After all, there was no way it would attain enlightenment from being hit by a punch from Yi-gang.

Yi-gang suddenly felt a chill. Even though he fell asleep in the private training hall, it was still hot for some reason. It was strange.

「The Great Yin Flow is inherently a study that deals with Yin energy, contrasting the Yang energy of the Radiant Yang Cultivation Technique. That’s why it was taught to my descendant who suffers from the Great Yin Meridian Blockage. It is natural to feel cold as you have not yet handled Yin energy.」

“Is that so? I haven’t heard such a story.”

「It could be. Learning martial arts doesn’t only consider the balance of Yin and Yang. Besides, the incomplete Great Yin Flow simply relaxes the body and clears the mind.」

The Immortal Divine Sword did not show its usual light demeanor. It was sitting upright with a serious face, looking at the moon.

「I pondered deeply when you, my descendant, were sound asleep. Touching the untouchable is the first realm of the Great Yin Flow. However, it’s not something that can be attained in half a day.」

“Didn’t you say I have talent?”

「The same applies even so. It’s a difficult, no, an impossible task. So, the answer is…」

Was it a shock that he took a hit like that?

Without knowing what Yi-gang was thinking, the Immortal Divine Sword spoke.

「…The descendant has already died once.」

“Didn’t I almost die and survive last time?”

「That’s not it. You completely died, losing your physical body, leaving only the soul wandering. And then being reborn… perhaps reincarnated.」

“…!”

Yi-gang felt his heart sinking. It was a story he has never told anyone.

「Seeing you surprised, it seems it’s true. Euhahaha!」

The Immortal Divine Sword chuckled upon seeing Yi-gang’s reaction. It was a reaction he expected.

“…You speak nonsense.”

「It’s not nonsense. I’m dead yet I’m hovering above the ground, isn’t there a word for it, reincarnation? However, like the descendant, remembering past lives and death might happen once in a thousand years. Who were you in your past life? A martial artist, a farmer, a scholar?」

Yi-gang’s reincarnation was not simply that.

After pondering for a while, Yi-gang carefully spoke,

“I was… not someone from the Central Plains.”

He did not explain everything. It was just a story about being born in the distant future and dying young.

「Hmm! It’s surprising. There would have never been a case like this. The elders of Azure Forest would be astonished if they knew.」

“Aren’t you surprised?”

「When you get old, you tend not to be easily surprised.」

The Immortal Divine Sword accepted Yi-gang’s reincarnation more casually than expected. Rather, it eased Yi-gang’s mind.

「However, it might be better to keep it a secret. It might also be better to keep it a secret from your family.」

“I suppose so.”

「Then, it was not my illusion. The descendant is indeed the only rightful heir to inherit my progress!」

The Immortal Divine Sword abruptly stood up.

Yi-gang, despite his aching body, also rose and sat down.

「Originally, the Great Yin Meridian Blockage is the worst condition for mastering martial arts. However, it may be a better condition to realize the enlightenment I obtained in my later years.」

“My last fist was, honestly, just good luck.”

「You think I did not know that. It doesn’t matter. If you haven’t mastered it, simply repeat and train. What’s needed is just effort. Can you do it?」

Yi-gang cautiously placed his hand on his own chest.

Thump— Thump—

His heart was beating.

Up until now, the world had always betrayed Yi-gang.

In his previous life, he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer right after getting a job, and after being born in the martial world with the forbidden physique, he received a heavenly punishment called meridian blockage.

The Immortal Divine Sword pointed at the sky with his hand.

「Let’s try cutting down that moon.」

That statement made Yi-gang’s heart race. A sense of achievement along with a thrill that he had not felt for so long slowly spread through him.

Could he put in the effort?

“Of course, I can.”

Effort was something he had been putting in his whole life. There was nothing he could not do in that regard.

「Good. I’ll completely change the training plan. From tomorrow, let’s train the Great Yin Flow while replenishing Yang energy through different means.」

“Yes!”

「Ah, speaking of the completed Great Yin Flow. Using the original name as it is doesn’t have the same flavor, how about changing the name?」

“Well, if you want to, go ahead.”

He wondered if it was necessary, but the Immortal Divine Sword seemed already excited.

「Having finally perfected it, how about adding the character for “true” to the Great Yin Flow to signify its completion?」

“Adding ‘true’?”

「Correct. Call it… the True Great Yin Flow (Jin-Tae-Eum-Gyeong)!」

Yi-gang, who had been momentarily stunned, vehemently shook his head.

“Absolutely not.”

「Hm? Why are you being so stiff about it? It sounds cool.」

“My uncle’s name is Jin-tae. Baek Jin-tae.”

「What does that have to do with anything? True Great Yin Flow, Jin Tae…」

The Immortal Divine Sword’s voice gradually faded away.

Annoyed, the Immortal Divine Sword, kicked at the ground.

「…Ugh!」

“Right? It cannot be that.”

Yi-gang finally exhaled a sigh of relief.

The clan’s good-for-nothing—

Three years since “that incident,” Baek Yi-gang, at the tender age of 11, was exiled to a remote manor on the outskirts.

It had already been two months since he returned home.

Yi-gang came back because of an attack by assassins.

However, the disaster that occurred at the manor was confidential. Ordinary servants merely thought that the Clan Head forgave Yi-gang and called him back.

In the Red Jade Training Hall, which could only be used by the head of the Baek family, servants gathered snugly under one corner of the eaves.

The red jade laid on the floor was a precious item that always emitted warm Yang energy, so the servants cleaned and maintained the Red Jade Training Hall daily.

“Hmm, he’s been like that for a month.”

“Has it already been that long?”

Two servants holding broom handles and one gatekeeper who managed the entrance to the Red Jade Training Hall were speaking.

They blankly hung on the railing, gazing down at the training field. Yi-gang was alone in the training hall.

“When did he get here?”

One servant asked, to which the gatekeeper, Jang Pal, replied,

“Around the hour of the Rabbit4, so about 5 AM. He arrived at sunrise, and it’s well past lunchtime now, so it must be around 4 PM.”

“What? That early?”

“It’s not just today. He’s been doing that every day for a month.”

Yi-gang’s infamy was well-known among the servants. They knew the kind of reputation he had until he was eventually driven out to the manor.

Even until a month ago, when Yi-gang first visited the Red Jade Training Hall, the servants scoffed at him.

They did not know why he started martial arts training again, which he had once abandoned, but they certainly thought he would give up after a few days.

“…What on earth got into him?”

“I thought he would quit soon.”

However, Yi-gang shattered everyone’s expectations. Far from giving up, he dragged his frail body to continue the training every single day without fail.

While it was a sight that impressed the onlookers, there were still those who disliked Yi-gang.

Servant Wang Il was certainly one of them.

“What’s so impressive about that? Is that martial arts? He’s just dancing around and dawdling in broad daylight.”

Yi-gang’s training style was indeed unimpressive.

There was no precision, nor were the movements swift. The servants also laughed.

“Hehe, it does seem like dancing.”

“We have to clean soon since it’s Young Master Ha-jun’s training time in a little while… Tsk… what nonsense is he up to, so late?”

“…Hey, Wang Il. Lower your voice.”

“He can’t hear. He’s too far away in this spacious training hall.”

The chastised servant grumbled but did lower his voice.

Unlike his colleagues, who had become somewhat friendly, he still looked upon Yi-gang with disdain.

Losing half a month’s salary due to gambling last night might also be a reason for his foul mood.

“But he has changed a lot, hasn’t he?”

“Perhaps he became jealous after seeing his younger brother, Young Master Ha-jun, become the Young Clan Head.”

“Hmm, Wang Il, why do you look upon Young Master Yi-gang so unfavorably?”

“What? You’re asking because you don’t know? What is there to like about him? He’s lazy, and disrespectful to the elders around him. Don’t you remember, three years ago during the clan’s ancestral rite, he got drunk and flipped the ritual table?”

“Exactly my point. That incident has nothing to do with us. It was the elders of the clan who suffered.”

“Ugh…”

“Think about it, Young Master Yi-gang never directly tormented us, did he?”

Wang Il, who badmouthed Yi-gang daily, was taken aback when his colleague spoke defensively about him.

And there were people in this world who got angry when they could not refute something.

“Ah, great! You’re all pretending to be so kind.”

“No, it’s not pretending to be kind. Seeing him work so hard just makes it a bit… difficult to criticize him, that’s all.”

The colleagues quieted down when Wang Il got angry.

Seeing this, Wang Il, invigorated, continued to ramble as if seizing an opportunity.

“I can’t believe it. Do you really think people change that easily? He suddenly returns home and trains so ostentatiously like that, why do you think so?”

“Wang Il, calm down…”

“He’s acting like that because he’s jealous of his brother, who has both a good nature and inborn martial talent. Since he was pushed out of the position of Young Clan Head, he wants to look good to the elders now…”

“That’s quite an interesting story.”

A cold voice, like an ice chamber, emanated from behind Wang Il.

“Huh, huuuh!”

Wang Il, turning around, prostrated in terror.

“Sir Neung!”

Behind the servants stood a middle-aged man with a chilling expression on his face.

A vassal of the clan and the one who taught Baek Ha-jun the light footwork technique, he was Tranquil Sword Neung Ji-pyeong.

True to his nickname, which meant a sword in tranquility, his presence was so stealthy that even a first-rate master could not detect it.

Naturally, to the servants, who were gossiping about him, it felt as if a ghost had appeared.

“I apologize!”

“Please forgive us, sir!”

The servants unanimously prostrated, seeking forgiveness.

Neung Ji-pyeong was famously cruel and frightening in disposition.

Everyone, from Wang Il to his colleagues, shivered in fear, wondering what punishment would be meted out.

“Prepare yourselves to receive a corporal punishment.”

“Yes, y-yes!”

“What are you all doing? Get back to your duties.”

But surprisingly, Neung Ji-pyeong let it slide just like that.

The servants, figuratively breathing sighs of relief while rubbing their necks, hurriedly backed away. A few whips would be a hundred times better than the worst-case scenario.

Neung Ji-pyeong had appropriately disciplined the servants’ rudeness.

The reason was simple.

‘Tch, these crawling creatures realize even such shallow intentions.’

He shared the same opinion as Wang Il.

Neung Ji-pyeong had been completely captivated by the 12 year old Baek Ha-jun, while teaching him light footwok technique.

In personality, martial talent, lineage, and even in appearance, Baek Ha-jun was indeed the true candidate for Young Clan Head position.

On the other hand, how frivolous a person Yi-gang was.

It was pitiful that he was born with meridian blockage, but living so pathetically and then returning to train in the Great Yin Flow every day was immensely sad.

‘If you’re trying to pretend to change your attitude so late, train in something other than the Great Yin Flow.’

His younger brother, Baek Ha-jun, had already moved past the Great Yin Flow at the age of seven, and it was meaningless to see it dawdle and repeat.

Neung Ji-pyeong, anticipating that sight, looked down at Yi-gang below the balcony.

“…!”

And then, he was shocked.

Yi-gang, who had been practicing the Great Yin Flow, had stopped early on and was doing something unthinkable to Neung Ji-pyeong’s common sense.

“How could he do such a thing…!”

Veins bulged on Neung Ji-pyeong’s forehead. Eventually, he could not hold back and hastily leaped down the training hall.

PR/N: Refferring to last chapter- The 'enlightenment' here is from a bhuddist term, meaning to obtain an enlightenment and ascending to nirvana️

PR/N: Regular enlightenment or gaining an epihany/realization️

PR/N: Refer to the previous note, this is also the bhuddist term️

PR/N: Time here is divided among the twelve zodiacs, the hour of the Rabbit is the period of time between 5am - 7am. According to what was stated at the end of this dialogue Yi-gang stayed in the training hall until the hour of the monkey, which is the period of time between 3pm and 5pm. Approximately 11 hours. For more information visit this site: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac#Hours️