Chapter 117
Wind and Thunder Cliff (1)
“How curious. How can a man possess such a constitution?”
When had he appeared?
I didn’t sense the slightest presence.
Five paces behind Namgung Jun stood a young boy.
Even though his senses were somewhat dulled from having only just regained consciousness, it was not a distance at which he should have failed to detect someone.
The boy’s eyes, fixed upon Namgung Jun, were unfathomably deep.
He appeared no older than fifteen.
Yet his gaze seemed to contain the weight of countless years.
Those two qualities should have clashed with one another, yet around the boy they formed a mysterious harmony.
As Namgung Jun met his eyes, he suddenly sensed something strange.
His body...
Though hidden beneath a worn gray Daoist robe, it was obvious that his physique was unlike that of ordinary youths.
His movements were casual and natural, yet the surrounding air seemed to flow smoothly around him of its own accord.
It was as though even the slightest friction and resistance of the atmosphere willingly yielded before him.
The earth was no different.
Whenever he took a step, the grass seemed to gently push him forward.
After walking a few paces, he stopped before Namgung Jun.
He resembled a deeply rooted pine tree.
No matter what one did, it felt impossible to move him from where he stood.
Ah.
A living Taiji stood before his eyes.
Namgung Jun was reminded of Jeong Hong, the Sect Leader of Wudang.
Even the greatest sword master of Wudang, one of the Five Supreme Masters under Heaven, had not reached such a realm.
“This junior is known as Namgung Jun. May I ask for this elder’s Daoist name or title?”
“Do the clouds in the sky each possess a name? It is enough simply to drift where the wind takes them.”
Namgung Jun instinctively raised his head and looked at the heavens.
Countless clouds floated above, each bearing a different shape.
Understanding the meaning behind those words, he silently gazed at the boy.
As Namgung Jun continued staring at him, the boy spoke instead.
“You are not a disciple of the Wudang Sect.”
“There is a formation laid out here. To pass through it safely, one requires a key.”
The boy paused and looked toward Namgung Jun’s chest.
“And that key is hidden within your robes.”
Thinking of the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip, Namgung Jun reached into his clothing.
When the boy gave a slight nod, Namgung Jun respectfully presented it.
Hummm!
The Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip in the boy’s hand glowed with flashes of violet light and released a clear, resonant hum.
Namgung Jun’s eyes widened slightly at the unprecedented sight.
At that moment, the faint smile on the boy’s lips deepened.
“So that is how it is. Wudang Mountain owes you a debt.”
Seeing that faint smile, Namgung Jun instantly realized something.
The boy had grasped the entire situation simply by holding the bamboo slip.
“Do you know where this place is?”
“I do not.”
“This is Wind and Thunder Cliff.”
Namgung Jun’s eyes widened.
Wind and Thunder Cliff.
The place where Zhang Sanfeng, founder of the Wudang Sect, had remained before ascending to immortality.
It was also the forbidden ground of Wudang where Zhang Sanfeng had left behind his final insights.
Unconsciously looking around, Namgung Jun hurriedly cupped his fists in salute.
“Though it was unintentional, I have entered a forbidden area of the Wudang Sect. I shall leave immediately. If Senior would kindly show me the way out, I will follow your guidance.”
“You would leave right away? Are you not tempted by the insights of Wind and Thunder Cliff?”
Meeting the boy’s gaze directly, Namgung Jun answered without hesitation.
“The martial path I have walked is not so shallow that I would covet the teachings of another sect.”
“Your answer is sincere.”
The boy murmured softly, sounding pleased.
As though he could discern the truth or falsehood hidden within a person’s words.
There was no concrete proof.
Yet from the boy’s manner and speech, Namgung Jun became certain.
The boy possessed the ability to distinguish genuine sincerity from lies.
Naturally, Namgung Jun could not help but grow wary.
Is it the intuition of a peerless master?
The intuition of a supreme expert who could commune with the natural energies of the world was often akin to foresight.
However, instantly discerning the truth hidden in another’s words was not something every supreme expert could do.
One would likely need enlightenment profound enough to surpass the stage of Returning the Five Qi to Their Origin and approach the peak beyond.
Even the Sword Emperor of Namgung Jun’s previous life had not possessed such intuition.
“You do know that you have suffered internal injuries, do you not?”
“Stay here and rest. The balance of yin and yang within you has been completely twisted. Before long, the cold yin energy will rampage fiercely.”
Though the boy had mentioned the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, Namgung Jun was not surprised.
From the moment they met, he had already realized that the boy had seen through his constitution.
If an episode occurs while I’m suffering from internal injuries, things could become serious. Moving recklessly would be unwise.
Namgung Jun thought of Lee Seha and the Heavenly Sword Hall.
If there had been some means of communication, he would have contacted them immediately to ease their worries.
But since that was impossible, his first priority was to ensure his own safety.
Master. I will return soon.
Namgung Jun readily nodded.
“If you permit it, I will stay and rest.”
Four days passed while Namgung Jun remained at Wind and Thunder Cliff.
Namgung Jun focused solely on regulating his breathing and circulating his qi.
The boy had not shown himself again since their conversation on the first day.
So that’s why Senior told me to remain here.
The natural energy within Wind and Thunder Cliff was extraordinarily dense.
If an ordinary mountain contained a level of natural energy equivalent to one, then Wind and Thunder Cliff possessed eight or even nine times that amount, constantly circulating through the area.
Because of that, the speed at which his internal injuries recovered through meditation was astonishingly fast.
His foundation-building cultivation was equally efficient.
The attainment of his Azure King Cleansing World Art had even advanced by an entire stage.
His internal injuries had yet to heal completely, but Wind and Thunder Cliff was more than worth staying in for a while longer.
“Hm?”
After finishing his meditation, Namgung Jun took a leisurely walk through the interior of Wind and Thunder Cliff and discovered something.
Two old graves stood side by side before him.
Grave of Jang Seonbo.
Grave of Jang Soyu.
Because Wind and Thunder Cliff was a place rarely visited by anyone, both graves were overgrown with weeds.
Namgung Jun stared at them for a moment before rolling up his sleeves.
He threw aside the scattered stones nearby and personally pulled out the waist-high weeds surrounding the graves.
The boy watched the two graves silently.
“I am merely paying my respects to the two of them.”
“Then are the rumors false as well? The ones claiming that Zhang Sanfeng’s final insight remains here?”
“What is so special about an insight? If one becomes obsessed with something like Zhang Sanfeng’s final enlightenment, what could they possibly gain? If enlightenment could be attained simply by reading a few lines of text, then one could obtain it merely by looking at the hills behind their village.”
Namgung Jun was gazing at the scenery of Wind and Thunder Cliff when the boy continued.
“Why did you clean those graves? You have no connection to them.”
“There is no particular reason. The moment I saw them, I simply felt it was the right thing to do.”
“Acting rightly without seeking reward. Is that your path?”
The boy’s eyes took in both the graves and Namgung Jun.
After staring at him for a long time, the boy suddenly smiled.
“Why do you laugh?”
“It is nothing. You simply reminded me of some people I wished to see again.”
The boy continued in a calm voice.
“You should begin preparing soon.”
“Preparing for what?”
He did not know whose graves these were, but as long as he remained at Wind and Thunder Cliff, maintaining them was only proper etiquette.
Namgung Jun had even cleaned away the moss covering more than half the gravestones.
Just as he straightened his back, he turned his head.
The boy was standing behind him, watching.
He had no idea how long he had been there.
I failed to sense him again.
The competitive spirit of a martial artist briefly flared within him, but Namgung Jun merely smiled bitterly and shook his head.
“Do you know who rests here?”
“They were once the wind and thunder of the Wudang Sect.”
The boy’s voice was different from usual.
It was so warm that even the dullest person could immediately feel the affection contained within it.
Upon hearing that answer, Namgung Jun understood.
The reason this place was called Wind and Thunder Cliff was because of the two graves before him.
“In the Jianghu, people say that Immortal Zhang Sanfeng summoned wind and storms and carved away the mountain, which is why it is called Wind and Thunder Cliff.”
“The ruffians of the Jianghu have always loved exaggeration. Wind and Thunder Cliff did not receive its name for such a grand reason.”
“Your yin and yang balance is about to collapse.”
Namgung Jun’s eyelids twitched.
How had the boy detected the impending eruption of his Nine Yin Severed Meridians before even he himself could sense it?
Yet Namgung Jun did not doubt the boy’s words.
He immediately moved to sit down and begin circulating his qi, but the boy stopped him.
“If the cold yin energy runs wild, can you still move?”
“To some extent.”
“Good.”
The boy widened his stance.
No matter where he stood, he seemed to occupy the very center of heaven and earth.
“Follow me.”
The boy’s body, which had been standing quietly with both arms hanging at his sides, began to move.
His right foot settled softly onto the ground.
The grass beneath it compressed silently.
Each blade of grass seemed to bow in respect, while subtle ripples spread outward and stirred the surrounding air.
Swoosh.
His left foot swept smoothly across the earth.
It seemed as though the sole of his foot had driven roots deep beneath the grass, refusing to be separated from the ground.
His movements possessed a tenacious stability, as though his feet had seized hold of the vast earth itself.
Even when his stance widened and his balance appeared tilted, his body remained perfectly centered like an immovable pillar.
Every movement contains multiple martial principles.
As Namgung Jun mirrored the boy’s actions, sweat gradually formed on his brow.
The movements themselves were not difficult.
However, countless profound principles were hidden within each subtle stretch and motion.
To avoid missing even one of them, he had to push the senses of his entire body to their utmost limits.
It was like facing a mortal enemy in a battle to the death.
Then the boy’s teaching entered his mind.
When you bite into a peach, sweet and refreshing juice fills your mouth. The nectar flows down your throat and invigorates your body. Draw large and small circles, spreading it throughout every corner of your being. The beginning lies within the Nine Palaces. Reconnect the places that have become severed and form nine small fruits...
It was not voice transmission.
The boy’s very intent flowed directly into Namgung Jun’s mind.
Although startled, Namgung Jun maintained his composure and followed the guidance.
The fragrance of a peach after long anticipation lifts the heart. This is vitality. It is warmth that embraces you, allowing your wounds to heal quickly. When the countless circles within the body rotate endlessly, that warmth and vitality shall never cease.
Even while continuing the movements, he repeated the teachings within his heart.
Following the principles imparted by the boy, the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art and the Azure King Cleansing World Art began to circulate.
At the same time, the cold yin energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians swelled and spread throughout his body.
The attack was moments away.
Hm?
Ordinarily, the eruption would have immediately sent violent reactions through his entire body, forcing him into a desperate struggle to suppress the cold yin energy.
But now things were completely different.
Following the boy’s teachings, the energies of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art and the Azure King Cleansing World Art began intertwining endlessly with the yin energy.
The opposing forces, which should have collided violently, gradually became entangled with one another.
Yin and yang were entering harmony.
Taiji?
Though astonished, Namgung Jun became increasingly absorbed in the boy’s teachings.
Before he realized it, the impending eruption of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians had completely slipped from his mind.
The boy’s guidance continued without end.
Soon afterward, tiny circles began forming throughout Namgung Jun’s body.
As yin and yang came into balance, his physique began to strengthen.
The teachings imparted by the boy—a method that made the body warm and resilient—elevated his physical foundation.
Namgung Jun endlessly contemplated the movements and formulas the boy had taught him.
He immersed himself so deeply that he forgot the passage of time itself.
Whooooom!
It was when sunlight and moonlight had alternated seven times over his body.
The aura flowing from Namgung Jun began to transform.
Above his head, as he traced a great circle with his movements, three flowers slowly blossomed into existence.