At the western edge of Nangyang lay Yeonggyoho, an artificial lake created by damming water.
Splash, splash, splash, splash.
Bu Eunseol was darting across the vast surface of Yeonggyoho Lake. Though it appeared as if he were running freely over the water, in reality, he was relentlessly stepping on the floating wooden fragments.
Thud.
Having crossed the lake in one breath using the branches, Bu Eunseol was now confronted by Sajaam, a towering cliff that pierced the sky.
Whoosh. Thud.
Bu Eunseol’s body soared into the air and descended repeatedly. With each breath, he leaped, and upon landing, he precisely struck the cliff’s minute protrusions with his toes, ascending with agility. It wasn’t as lofty as Ascending Clouds and Soaring Heights, but it was nimble, resembling Void Treading Steps yet allowing lateral movement. His body moved up the cliff like a spring, freely bending and stretching.
Whoosh.
Finally reaching the cliff’s summit, four throwing knives shot toward Bu Eunseol with a piercing sound.
Pop, pop.
But Bu Eunseol was no longer there, and the knives embedded themselves in a tree stump.
Swish, swish, swish.
This time, eight throwing knives poured in from all directions, cutting off his retreat. With no space to dodge, Bu Eunseol leaped into the air.
Pop, pop, pop.
His body seemed to blur, and the eight knives passed through empty air. By shifting directions dozens of times in midair, it appeared as though the knives had merely grazed him.
Thud.
As Bu Eunseol landed lightly,
“Not bad.” A small figure emerged from behind a rock, clutching throwing knives between their fingers. It was Gowol. “At this level, you can be said to have entered the initial stage of Swift Beyond Shadow.” Bu Eunseol’s lower garments were sharply torn.
The wounds were from executing Extreme Speed Shadowless just moments ago.
Gowol looked at Bu Eunseol with a proud gaze.
“Impressive. To shift thirty-six directions in just a month of learning movement techniques.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Elder.” Bu Eunseol bowed his head.
In truth, Extreme Speed Shadowless was a martial art of motion more complex and intricate than counting the stars. Moreover, simultaneously executing movement techniques and footwork was near impossible. Yet Bu Eunseol had diligently trained and achieved nearly thirty percent mastery.
“You must not grow complacent.” Perhaps due to pouring all his energy into the past month, Gowol’s hair had turned whiter, but his eyes gleamed fiercely. “What you’ve learned and what you’ve internalized are different. You must practice Swift Beyond Shadow across this lake and cliff until you can execute it perfectly in any situation.”
“Understood.”
“Good.” As Gowol turned, a faint smile played on his lips. “May fortune fill your path ahead.”
Bu Eunseol wore a puzzled expression. Gowol’s words sounded like a farewell, as if they wouldn’t meet for a long time.
“Elder, I’ve only just begun to execute Swift Beyond Shadow.”
“If you can execute it, that’s enough. There’s nothing more for me to teach you.”
“I don’t understand.” Turning back, Gowol spoke in a calm voice.
“The difficulty in mastering Extreme Speed Shadowless lies in executing the principle of ‘No Place to Set Foot,’ which involves performing movement techniques and footwork simultaneously while airborne.”
No Place to Set Foot.
The term implies having no ground to stand on, but in the context of Swift Beyond Shadow, it refers to the secret of executing movement and footwork in midair.
“To perfect this principle, four conditions are essential.” Gowol looked at Bu Eunseol with pride. “First, tenacity and endurance greater than a camel’s. Second, robust inner energy capable of sustaining half a sikgyeong (about 15 minutes) in one breath. Third, the wisdom to comprehend complex footwork.”
Pausing, he asked Bu Eunseol,
“Do you know the final condition?” After pondering, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“Heh heh. It’s the courage to overcome the fear and terror of losing your legs while executing movement and footwork at high speed.” Gowol gazed at Bu Eunseol with eyes filled with myriad emotions.
“The reason countless Nangyang disciples failed to master Swift Beyond Shadow lies here. No one would risk becoming crippled just to learn a movement technique and footwork.” With an admiring expression, Gowol said, “Honestly, I’ve never seen someone as bold as you at your age.”
“Me…?”
“Yes. Old men like me, who’ve tasted life’s highs and lows, may have little attachment to life, but for someone your age to treat it so lightly is rare.” Bu Eunseol’s expression grew complex.
He wasn’t fearless or naturally bold. He simply sought martial arts powerful enough to defeat the one who killed his grandfather.
“I’d like to know the secret behind your superhuman courage and confidence at such a young age.” At Gowol’s question, Bu Eunseol bowed his head.
“I have no such courage.” After a long pause, he lifted his head, his eyes flickering like flames. “I simply had no other choice.”
“I simply had no other choice.” A fierce current seemed to surge behind Bu Eunseol. At the same time, the entire open expanse of Cheongmyeongdae felt filled with an immense, terrifying killing intent.
‘What is this guy…?’ Only then did Gowol realize. Within Bu Eunseol’s heart lay a thunderous, earth-shattering killing intent, as heavy as ten thousand geun.
“I see.” Sensing Bu Eunseol’s circumstances, Gowol let out a heavy breath. “Swift Beyond Shadow is not just a movement technique. Through countless battles, it will evolve infinitely with the insights you gain.” Looking into Bu Eunseol’s radiant eyes, Gowol spoke in a subdued voice.
“I’ve kept this teahouse open for a long time, waiting for a disciple capable of mastering Swift Beyond Shadow. Now that my wish has been fulfilled…” With a relieved smile, he continued, “I will close the teahouse.”
“Thank you, Elder.” As Bu Eunseol bowed, Gowol nodded lightly and entered the teahouse.
Boom.
The door of Cheongmyeongdaru closed for good. He had opened the teahouse to await a prodigy capable of learning Swift Beyond Shadow.
Having fulfilled his long-held wish, his teahouse closed with a sense of satisfaction.
***
Ten shadows were approaching Nangyang.
They dashed up the steep mountain path as if it were flat, forming a triangular formation as they cut through the air. The ten shadows, moving at the speed of light, suddenly soared into the air as Nangyang’s main gate came into view.
Whoosh.
The ten figures scattered in all directions like bursting fireworks.
“It’s the Peongan Corps.” Nangyang members, looking up at the stealthy shadows spreading across the night sky, clicked their tongues. “They could just use the entrance. Acting like spies, as always…”
Peongan Corps.
Nangyang’s intelligence unit, roaming the martial world to gather information. It was rumored that whenever they returned, seismic shifts occurred in the martial world.
Swish.
One of the shadows, moving with covert movement techniques, stopped atop a pavilion overlooking Nangyang.
Rustle.
Bathed in moonlight, the figure removed their mask. A middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a prominent nose slowly revealed himself.
“If you’re back, you should head straight to Geongondang. Why linger here so dramatically, Baek Yeon?” A clear voice rang out as a white-robed figure descended onto the pavilion’s roof like a cloud.
He was a man with a refined build and a languid, almost drowsy gaze—Dan Cheong, the Vice-Sect Leader of Nangyang.
“Or are you planning to drink under the night sky, using the darkness as your appetizer, like old times?” Approaching the man, Dan Cheong smiled faintly. “If it were revealed that the leader of the Peongan Corps, who controls the martial world’s information, is so handsome, it would cause quite a stir.” The masked middle-aged man was Baek Yeon, the leader of the Peongan Corps, overseeing Nangyang’s intelligence.
“Vice-Sect Leader.” Baek Yeon, the Peongan Corps leader, clasped his hands and fixed his star-like eyes on the ground.
Dan Cheong, slightly disappointed, said,
“Didn’t I say you could speak freely when it’s just us?”
“The sect’s discipline is already too lax. If we make exceptions one by one, the sect’s order will fall apart.” At Baek Yeon’s rigid response, Dan Cheong smacked his lips.
The two had been close friends since childhood. But the upright Baek Yeon maintained a formal and solemn demeanor, whether in private or public.
“I was just about to come find you, so this works out.”
“Me? Why?” As Dan Cheong blinked, a cold glint flashed in Baek Yeon’s eyes.
“The Ten Demon Successors…”
“Hm?”
“I heard you brought a prodigy of unparalleled talent from Hell Island to become one of the Ten Demon Successors.” Dan Cheong, who had been standing blankly, burst into laughter.
“Only the leaders of the Ten Demonic Sects and the demonic factions know that, yet you’ve already heard. Truly astonishing.”
“You opposed the Ten Demon Successors plan from the start.” Baek Yeon stared at Dan Cheong with deep eyes. “So why did you bring a prodigy meant for Hwa Wu Sword Sect to our sect?”
“That’s what this is about.” Scratching his ear, Dan Cheong said with a wry smile, “I didn’t bring him.”
“If you didn’t bring him…”
“He chose our sect himself. He rejected Hwa Wu Sword Sect’s offer outright.”
“That prodigy… chose our sect?”
“Exactly.” Recalling that moment, Dan Cheong rubbed his neck. “Thanks to that, I nearly had a fight with that crazy Sword Demon.”
Baek Yeon couldn’t hide his frustration.
“Why did you allow such an exception? It wouldn’t have mattered who we brought.”
“Well, it’s admirable, isn’t it? He walked into our sect of his own accord.” As Dan Cheong shrugged, Baek Yeon frowned.
“Because of that, Hwa Wu Sword Sect didn’t select a Ten Demon Successor. Even their leader expressed regret.”
“That happened, huh?” At Dan Cheong’s nonchalant reply, Baek Yeon sighed deeply.
“The martial world calls our sect reckless. Have you forgotten it’s because we’ve been under the demonic factions’ scrutiny for so long?”
“Baek Yeon.” Letting out a sigh, Dan Cheong shook his head. “Haven’t you been leading the Peongan Corps for too long?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been steeped in the martial world’s waters for too long.” Looking down at Nangyang from the roof, Dan Cheong’s eyes grew profound. “Our sect is our sect. Nangyang’s goal is to reach the pinnacle of martial arts, not to dominate the martial world.”
“Vice-Sect Leader, that’s just an ideal. Do you think you can lead Nangyang with hopeful aspirations alone?”
“You were just talking about discipline… I’m the Vice-Sect Leader, and you’re being a bit harsh.” As Dan Cheong teased, Baek Yeon clenched his fists, suppressing his emotions.
“The martial world is a ticking time bomb. With such complacent thoughts, our sect could be in danger.”
“Alright, alright.” Dan Cheong waved his hand as if he had no choice.
He knew Baek Yeon spoke out of deep loyalty to Nangyang.
“Since you’re back, let’s catch up.” Dan Cheong waved his hand to dispel the heavy air. “I’ve prepared a banquet at Cheongyunlu. Let’s get drunk for once.”
“I’ll drink later.”
“Why?”
“There’s urgent business to attend to.”
“What’s that?” Baek Yeon looked at Dan Cheong with a grave expression.
“Where is the one who became our sect’s warrior?”
