The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Practitioners must govern themselves.

It’s not necessary to sever all vexations and lose oneself like a Buddhist monk, but a Taoist should know how to control their emotions.

Myung Won, the sect leader of the Great Wudang Sect, displayed a lack of such discipline.

No, that was not all. Myung Won’s face was truly a storm of emotions.

Confusion, disbelief, absurdity. And a faint but definite anger.

“I must have heard wrong. Senior Uncle.”

“Let me repeat myself, Sect Leader.”

Sitting cross-legged, the Sword Emperor repeated his statement.

He would pass on everything he had to his successor: his cultivation, his profound understanding, and even the secret arts not typically transmitted.

He would choose only one, but there were no restrictions on who it could be, even if they were not from the Wudang Sect…

“How can this be! Even if they are not from the Wudang Sect, it’s fine?”

“I am not looking to take on a disciple. It doesn’t matter who they are if they can inherit my profound understanding.”

“If you are not taking on a disciple, what is it then?”

“I, an old man, do not wish to disrupt the rules of the sect by taking on a designated disciple.”

“If you do not wish to disrupt the rules of the sect, how can you…!”

Even though he said this, Myung Won thought the Sword Emperor actually wanted to take on a disciple.

Just as people have children to avoid the eternal death, martial artists wanted to take disciples to leave their mark on the world.

The Taoist sect martial artist felt the same, and Myung Won thought that was what his senior uncle had in mind.

“What’s needed is just someone who is qualified. Someone who can make my profound understanding and divine art their own. It really doesn’t matter who… I can’t take an elder or a sect leader as a disciple.”

“What do you mean by saying it is okay even if they are not from the Wudang Sect? Our sect has many bright and talented individuals. There is no need to look elsewhere.”

“Tao is not about affiliation or status…”

“Even if that person has not learned Tao, you intend to transmit it to them?”

“If the path of martial arts is also Tao, then I will do so.”

He might still not be in his right mind.

Thinking this, Myung Won hardened his expression.

He had not expected to say such things to his respected senior uncle.

“Senior Uncle. Please bestow upon the Wudang Sect as much as it has bestowed upon you.”

It was a solemn command that only the sect leader could make.

“The Wudang Sect’s secret techniques must not leave the sect. Even if you are my senior uncle, you cannot break this rule.”

In all major sects, the unauthorized dissemination of core sect techniques was a taboo of taboos.

It’s a sin among sins, punishable by destroying the dantian or even death.

The sect leader mentioned this as a warning.

However, the Sword Emperor was neither flustered nor angry.

“Well then, I will choose a promising child and teach them swordsmanship and pass on my internal arts.”

“Ah…”

Myung Won was pleased, but the Sword Emperor had not finished speaking.

“However, what I received from the Wudang is only that. I will separately decide whom to pass on my personal profound understanding and other things.”

Myung Won realized something as he watched the Sword Emperor speak as if he had been waiting for that moment.

“Could it be…”

“Among these, it will also include Founder Zhang Sanfeng’s profound understanding. What I obtained from his secret cave was not Wudang’s martial arts.”

“What kind of sophistry is this!”

“Sophistry? It’s an undeniable fact.”

The Sword Emperor opened a drawer and took out an old piece of paper. It looked like it had been torn from a book and was very old.

“This is the Founder’s diary.”

“Ah!”

At the mention of Zhang Sanfeng’s diary, Myung Won, previously angry, quickly took it and read it.

Indeed, the grand handwriting was truly Zhang Sanfeng’s.

The diary began with ordinary daily events.

‘I acquired some Maojian tea from the Xinyang region. It has a good fragrance, so I have high expectations…’

Myung Won’s expression darkened as he read on swiftly.

It was clearly written there.

‘…The martial knowledge left here is made independently of the Wudang, therefore, the disciples of our sect should not learn it rashly.’

It was stated that it was not of the Wudang.

“However, if someone is qualified, there’s nothing to stop it from being passed on to a disciple of the sect.”

“…Senior Uncle, have you acquired the divine art of Founder Zhang?”

Knowing the Sword Emperor as Myung Won did, it was unlikely he would have seen Zhang Sanfeng’s martial arts and not learned it.

Yet, the Sword Emperor neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply remained silent.

Myung Won’s mind became cluttered.

The Sword Emperor must have anticipated Myung Won’s reaction.

That’s why he made such a difficult-to-accept proposal at first, and kept the main point hidden like this.

But really, could it be right for an outsider to inherit Zhang Sanfeng’s martial arts, the Sword Emperor’s profound understanding?

As the sect leader, he could not allow it.

Myung Won suddenly remembered something and raised his head.

“Senior Uncle, what exactly is this qualification…”

He hadn’t heard the most important part.

But seeing his senior uncle’s demeanor, Myung Won was startled.

Just moments before, his senior uncle had been showing a dignified demeanor, but now he was biting his nails.

“…Huh? Isn’t that you, Myung Won?”

“…”

“When did you come?”

His eyes were dim and unfocused. His mannerisms were childlike, devoid of dignity.

“…I will take my leave now, Senior Uncle.”

“Leaving already?”

“Please, take care.”

Myung Won deeply bowed and stepped outside.

Outside the small hut, Hyun Cheol was waiting for him.

“Sect Leader…”

“Senior Uncle seems very tired. Take good care of him.”

“Yes.”

Myung Won’s steps as he left the Sword Emperor’s small hut felt incredibly heavy.

The words the Sword Emperor had spoken disturbed Myung Won’s mind.

“Zhang Sanfeng.”

He remembered the time when the name of the Great Ancestor had come from the Sword Emperor’s mouth.

To Myung Won’s eyes, it seemed as though the light of dawn was shining upon the Wudang.

The legend of the present touched upon the legend of the past.

Perhaps the Sword Emperor too might ascend to immortality like Zhang Sanfeng.

But the respected senior uncle, instead of rising to the heavens, had plummeted to the earth.

And in a tragic state with broken wings.

‘To seek someone from outside to inherit the Founder’s divine art. Why exactly…’

He had heard such an absurd story.

Myung Won consoled himself internally. What the Sword Emperor said could just be ‘a possibility.’

‘No, after all, the sect is securely locked. How could one even begin to look for talents outside the Wudang.’

There would be no leak of Zhang Sanfeng’s secret teachings.

Then, as Myung Won was walking slowly, a disciple hurried towards him.

“Sect Leader!”

“What’s the matter?”

“The envoy from the Murim Alliance has returned.”

Myung Won’s frowning face hardened.

“That they have come back even after being turned away once means…”

“They’ve brought the Four Great Divine Physicians’ Golden Needle Phantom and a master from Kunlun!”

His stern expression brightened this time.

It felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heavy heart. If they could heal the Sword Emperor’s condition, many problems would be resolved at once.

The matter regarding Zhang Sanfeng’s martial arts could be addressed by slowly persuading the healthy Sword Emperor.

“Where are they now?”

“They should have just reached the Sword Releasing Ground.”

“Is that so? Guide them to the Violet Heaven Hall… No, I will go myself. Who else has come?”

The disciple responded to the sect leader.

More people had visited Wudang than the sect leader had expected.

Among them, several promising young successors.

“Peng Clan, the daughter of the head of the Tang Clan, two disciples from the Azure Forest. One of them is…”

The nickname ‘Immortal Divine Dragon’ was also known to Myung Won. A prodigy who became a Peak master before even reaching twenty, the pride of the Baek Noble Clan and Azure Forest.

Normally, he would be pleased to meet the young talents of the martial world, but now he felt strangely cold.

‘Why now of all times?’

It was just after the Sword Emperor had mentioned that secret techniques might be passed on to ‘someone outside of the Wudang.’

And now, suddenly, young geniuses recognized throughout the Central Plains were arriving.

Myung Won hastened his steps towards the Sword Releasing Ground.

He felt like using the lightfoot technique to get there in one step if his dignity allowed.

He moved at the fastest speed his status would permit.

---

The Sword Releasing Ground was a famous site within the Wudang Sect.

Anyone passing through the Sword Releasing Ground had to unarm themselves of all weapons, including swords.

There were no exceptions unless permitted by the sect leader.

For a martial artist, giving up their weapon was akin to parting with their life; a difficult rule to accept. This was only possible because it was the Wudang Sect.

Those who came from the Murim Alliance were currently depositing their weapons there.

From a distance, Myung Won watched the people intently, especially focusing on the young successors.

And the most eye-catching was a young man in a red robe.

‘Is that youth the one called the Immortal Divine Dragon of the Azure Forest?’

Indeed, his aura was extraordinary.

‘…What is he doing now?’

However, Yi-gang did not leave immediately after depositing his sword.

He approached a dying old tree.

The tree, planted at the Sword Releasing Ground, was called the Sword Releasing Tree.

Although it was now withering and dying, it likely boasted lush leaves in the past.

‘The Sword Releasing Tree is definitely…’

It was an old tree, but originally, it was not native to Wudang.

One of the Founders had planted it while creating the Sword Releasing Ground.

Time has passed, and it was now dying. But certainly…

‘Was it Founder Zhang Sanfeng who planted it?’

He vaguely recalled such records at that moment.

“Gasp!”

Myung Won’s eyes widened in astonishment.

---

Yi-gang and his group ascended Mount Wudang.

With Cheong Su and Cheong Hye leading the way, there was no mountain path too treacherous for them that had been cut off from human passage.

Upon arriving at the Wudang Sect’s mountain gate, as they had heard, the plaque was taken down, and disciples with a formidable presence were blocking the gate.

After Neung Ji-pyeong stepped forward and explained the situation, a Wudang Sect disciple who had gone inside to convey the message returned and granted them entry.

The gate opened, and they faced the renowned Sword Releasing Ground.

Though everyone was hesitant at the instruction to surrender their weapons, they complied without protest.

Yi-gang did the same.

The value of the meteorite sword was unimaginable, but he trusted the Wudang Sect and handed over his sword.

‘Would they steal it?’

「Ah, Wudang is not a sect of petty men.」

Since the Great Ancestor of Wudang, Zhang Sanfeng, had said so, there was no reason not to believe him.

Zhang Sanfeng had an expression filled with profound nostalgia.

「It’s been nearly 300 years, yet it’s astounding, truly astounding.」

He turned his head, surveying the various parts of Mount Wudang.

‘What is so astonishing?’

「The indifference of nature. This majestic mountain has not changed at all, making one feel how short and fleeting human life is.」

It had been hundreds of years since Zhang Sanfeng had died, or rather, ascended to immortality.

Yet, the majestic landscape of Wudang had not changed, evoking complex emotions.

「However, the small sapling I planted back then has now grown old. Indeed, time is impermanent.」

Only then did Yi-gang notice the old tree in front of him.

It was not the time for the leaves to fall yet, but the branches were bare.

Tall but bent, it strongly resembled an aged elder.

“Hmm.”

While others were depositing their swords, Yi-gang approached the old tree.

He then placed his hand on its trunk.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated his energy perception.

‘It’s still alive.’

「That’s commendable.」

Zhang Sanfeng stood next to Yi-gang.

‘Could it have suffered from pests or diseases?’

「Merely a decline in vitality. It seems the ley lines that transmit life energy have dried up and broken.」

‘It’s quite similar to me.’

Yi-gang didn’t feel a kinship with the tree, but his view of the old tree had changed.

「I see.」

Suddenly, as if making a decision, Zhang Sanfeng stood beside Yi-gang and placed his hand on the tree.

「I wish I could heal your body, young priest. But, as someone who has attained the qualifications of Earth Immortal, I must not interfere with lifespan, remember?」

‘Yes.’

「What would happen if I forcibly healed the young priest’s body? I will show you through this tree.」

‘…What are you going to do?’

Before Yi-gang could remove his hand from the tree.

Zhang Sanfeng initiated something.

Crack—

A cracking sound emanated from inside the old tree.

Naturally, everyone turned their gaze to Yi-gang, who was touching the tree.

They hadn’t noticed yet, but Yi-gang, standing right in front of the old tree, could feel it.

The tree, once dry and parched, was now brimming with life.

Tap, thud—

A sound of something small bursting was heard from above.

A cry of astonishment came from the group as they looked up at the branches.

“Th-the tree is coming back to life!”

“What is that!”

Then, someone dashed out from behind with the speed of lightning using the lightfoot technique.

It was Myung Won, the sect leader of Wudang.

“S-Sect Leader!”

The disciples of Wudang bowed in respect.

Yi-gang, too, bowed in confusion, but Myung Won was only looking up at the tree.

“New buds are sprouting… from the Sword Releasing Tree!”

Fresh green buds were sprouting from the tree.

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