The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

“Perhaps Young Master Yi-gang’s martial talent has finally awakened.”

The general had a very serious expression.

“Although he might be afflicted with meridian blockage, preventing him from gathering internal energy, his talent and understanding haven’t disappeared. Didn’t the Clan Head admire Young Master Yi-gang’s talent even when he was a child?”

“That’s true.”

Great Yin Meridian Blockage, it was a rare condition unlike any other in the world, but it did not only have downsides.

While one would not be able to gather internal energy, their senses ended up becoming sharper. It was to the point where it could be considered a sixth sense or called intuition. His understanding and memory were also exceptional.

In the past, when Yi-gang was still young, even the Clan Head treated him kindly.

It was before the Council of Elders frequently raised concerns about the Young Clan Head issue. The Clan Head personally taught Yi-gang and his brother swordsmanship.

“I remember the Clan Head being overjoyed that since the Immortal Divine Sword, two of the greatest geniuses were born at once.”

“Haha…”

Such memories existed. The Clan Head gave a wry smile.

“It’s pointless to talk about the past. What’s the use of realizing it now? Instead…”

“Ah.”

The general realized his slip of tongue.

“Realizing this will only strengthen the elders who wish to make Yi-gang the Young Clan Head. After the succession ceremony, Yi-gang will have only two years left to live. I wish for Yi-gang to live freely.”

“I apologize. I misspoke.”

The power of the Baek Noble Clan’s Council of Elders was immense. The Clan Head knew the ulterior motives of those who insisted on the principle of eldest succession and wanted to make Yi-gang the Young Clan Head.

Clan Head Baek Ryu-san was suffering from a chronic illness, and Yi-gang, who was to succeed him, was fated to die soon.

They likely intended to seize the clan’s power during this chaos.

“Yi-gang being sharp-witted is a story from when he was young. Since losing his light at the age of 10, he’s been a resigned child.”

A moment of bitter silence passed.

“So… I wonder. How did he deal with those assassins?”

The general pondered for a moment and then chuckled.

“Perhaps, just maybe, the spirit of the Immortal Divine Sword might have aided him.”

“Haha, your joking has improved.”

The garden where Yi-gang used to live alone — it’s said to be the place where the Immortal Divine Sword Baek Sung-cheon spent his last years, long ago.

“Are you suggesting there are ghosts in the world? If the Immortal Divine Sword who died long ago still lingers, he might be a lingering ghost at best.”

“Why would you say such a thing…”

The general looked embarrassed. Baek Ryu-san chuckled bitterly, but soon hardened his expression.

“Regardless, we cannot let go of those who dared to threaten a blind swordsman. Send the Red Dragon Squad.”

“…Yes, Clan Head.”

If the Baek Noble Clan dispatched their elite Red Dragon Squad, even the assassins who left no trace would soon be caught.

---

「So, you’re saying your father keeps a deliberate distance from you to be in the good graces of the Council of Elders?」

Asked the Immortal Divine Sword widened his eyes after materializing from the sword.

“Yes. Initially, he opposed the Council of Elders when I was about 10, but when I started lazing around because I didn’t want to become the Young Clan Head, his approach changed.”

Yi-gang spoke while applying medicine to his wounds. A week of recuperation after waking up significantly improved his condition.

「The frail firstborn, not only weak in martial arts but also lazy, is dismissed. The intelligent second-born is favored more, establishing grounds to pass on the Young Clan Head position. I see.」

The Immortal Divine Sword remarkably quickly grasped Yi-gang’s fragmented explanation.

However, emotionally, he seemed unable to empathize.

「So weak, so frail! The Clan Head of the Baek Noble Clan being swayed by the Council of Elders.」

While the clan system was based on blood relations, making many things even the Clan Head could not do freely, this was a bit excessive.

Yi-gang lowered his head.

“It’s all thanks to you, ancestor.”

「What? Me?」

“When one masters the Immortal Divine Art, don’t they achieve longevity?”

「That’s right… Hence the name, “Immortal.”」

While a martial artist at his peak tended to live long, the Immortal Divine Art established by Baek Sung-cheon in front of him, known as the Immortal Divine Sword, was particularly astonishing.

“All of father’s direct bloodline enter the Council of Elders, and their numbers grow because they live long. It’s like a human resources backlog.”

「Hmm…」

“Considering the current Clan Head’s grandmother, or rather, my great-grandmother, is still quite active as a senior elder, do you think my father can easily oppose the Council of Elders?”

It was said that the Immortal Divine Sword, Baek Sung-cheon himself, lived up to an astonishing 130 years. Due to such characteristics of the Immortal Divine Art, the Baek Noble Clan was under much stronger influence from the Council of Elders compared to other Seven Great Clans.

「Ahem, there must be a reason why our ancestors emphasized leaving long-lasting legacies…」

“You’re changing the topic again. Anyway, I’m ready.”

Yi-gang tightly tied the robe of his black training uniform.

The Immortal Divine Sword, who seemed a bit awkward for some reason, sighed with relief.

「Indeed. One can’t block a flying blade with words. I will personally oversee the training of my descendant.」

Right after leaving Red Dragon Hall, Yi-gang sought guidance in martial arts. The Immortal Divine Sword happily agreed.

Now that his condition had significantly improved, they decided to begin the training today.

No servants were encountered on the way to a separate training hall that he acquired.

After Sohwa’s death, Yi-gang had avoided conflicts.

「You want to learn martial arts?」

“Yes.”

「Do you desire to wield this sword, forged from stars, and cut down the moon?」

“I don’t have such grand ambitions.”

「Then, why do you pursue martial arts?」

Yi-gang was silent for a moment, then spoke,

“I just want to find and take revenge on those who killed Sohwa. Having enough strength to protect myself is sufficient.”

「Hmm…」

The Immortal Divine Sword looked somewhat displeased for some reason.

「…Perhaps your own ambition is not such a bad motivation after all.」

With that, he seemed to convince himself, nodding subtly.

「Even if the blood vessels are severed, the method to use true Qi is simpler than you might think.」

“Really?”

Yi-gang’s eyes widened in surprise, as this was the main point he was most curious about.

The Immortal Divine Sword spoke as if he was simply sharing how to boil noodles.

「Just die, like I did.」

“…”

Yi-gang’s face contorted in disbelief.

---

Obviously, one could not die just to obtain martial arts skills.

Upon Yi-gang’s arrival at the training hall, the Immortal Divine Sword instructed him to take a sitting position.

「Hmm, to clarify for my startled descendant, feeling the energy and spirit through death is the quickest method. Since you can’t die, we’ll have to use another method.」

“I understand.”

「Shush. Only answer when asked.」

The Immortal Divine Sword put on a seemingly stern expression.

「Do you know what Great Yin Meridian Blockage, and meridian blockage disease are?」

“Isn’t it a rare condition where one is born with severed vessels that energy flows through?”

「Incorrect.」

“Incorrect?”

「Energy always flows within the human body. Many, even among martial artists, can’t feel it. Even though it’s difficult to sense, energy flows through everything in this world. Especially all living beings with physical forms. If, by any chance, your vessels were severed and energy couldn’t flow, you would have died long ago.」

The Immortal Divine Sword extended a finger and poked Yi-gang’s abdomen.

His finger went deep into Yi-gang’s body. It did not hurt, but Yi-gang felt a peculiar coldness.

「If energy flow is likened to water and blood vessels are compared to a river, meridian blockage can be said to be like being born with a river as narrow as a stream.」

“So then….”

「The energy always flows steadily. However, the channel is so narrow that it even disrupts the metabolism of the living flesh. It’s also impossible to release true Qi or gather energy.」

Yi-gang remained silent. Though he once lived in a world of science, this place was the martial world where swords emitted light and spirits genuinely existed.

“If it’s not blocked, but rather narrow… Does that mean if it’s widened, I can survive?”

「Exactly. Moreover, you’ll also be able to use martial arts.」

Yi-gang’s expression brightened. He found hope in treating the meridian blockage.

However, that was a hasty judgment.

「But, it probably won’t be possible.」

“Pardon?”

「You want to widen the blood vessels and fix the Great Yin Meridian Blockage, don’t you?」

“Yes, that’s right…”

Yi-gang was only fourteen, but he was mature enough not to get irritated by the Immortal Divine Sword’s sudden change of attitude.

“You said there was a way.”

「I’ve seen and even cut human necks, arms, and legs. I’ve grown weary watching the innards flow, but there were no such blood vessels.」

He spoke as casually as if he was slicing cabbage, but the content reeked of blood.

「In a human’s limbs, there are only blood vessels, blood, bones, bone marrow, muscles, and the like. Even if I shattered the bones, there was nothing but a foggy brain. No spirits or souls resided there.」

“…”

「Yet, aren’t you seeing me, descendant?」

The Immortal Divine Sword pointed at himself with a finger.

「You are seeing the spirit with your own eyes. I don’t know how it’s possible, but it’s no ordinary feat.」

“Is it related to martial arts?”

「Of course. When I possessed your feeble body, how do you think I used internal energy?」

That was what Yi-gang was most curious about.

「I’ve used my will as a foundation to reconnect the blood vessels that had originally been severed. This realization came to me in my later years. The principle is…」

From there, the Immortal Divine Sword continued with his discourse on martial arts techniques.

As expected, Yi-gang found it utterly incomprehensible.

「There’s a concept called Essence-Qi-Spirit. Will is essentially spirit. Essence signifies the body, and Qi refers to true Qi. I established my will as a foundation, deceiving both the body and Qi. In other words, will is spirit, and spirit is will…」

Yi-gang interrupted the Immortal Divine Sword, who seemed engrossed in his explanation.

“So, to simplify…”

「Haha, if you don’t understand, you must learn step by step in detail.」

“…It’s the power of will, right?”

「Some also call it perseverance. Effort. By exerting effort, you might be able to reconnect the blood vessels with the power of will.」

Yi-gang was at a loss for words.

The theories of effort and perseverance seemed applicable not just in modern South Korea but also in the martial world.

「Hehe, the younger generation always becomes resentful when we talk about effort.」

However, the Immortal Divine Sword did not seem to advocate effort without purpose.

「You probably haven’t learned the Radiant Yang Cultivation Technique, but have you trained in the Great Yin Flow?」

The Baek Clan’s secret technique, Immortal Divine Art, was composed of the Radiant Yang Cultivation Technique and Great Yin Flow.

“Yes, I’ve always trained in it to take care of my body.”

「Excellent.」

The Radiant Yang Cultivation Technique was a supreme technique for rapidly and powerfully cultivating internal energy, while Great Yin Flow was similar to exercises that cleared the mind.

「Most martial artists of our clan primarily train in the Radiant Yang Cultivation Technique, correct?」

“Yes, typically we finish the Great Yin Flow around the age of seven and then focus solely on the Radiant Yang Cultivation Technique.”

「Hehehe, that’s because the Great Yin Flow is an incomplete technique. In my later years, I finally completed the Great Yin Flow. It will undoubtedly be of great help to you, descendant.」

The Immortal Divine Sword laughed heartily.

“I-is that true?!”

Yi-gang’s heart raced. The idea that the Great Yin Flow of the Immortal Divine Technique was actually an incomplete technique was news to him.

「Indeed. While I can’t cure the blocked meridians of my descendant, I can certainly teach you.」

Yi-gang had never heard of anyone with blocked meridians learning martial arts properly before.

Yet, a martial artist who was hailed as the best in the world was making this promise to Yi-gang.

“Please teach me!”

「Very well. The fundamental principle is not much different from the Great Yin Flow.」

The Immortal Divine Sword chuckled.

---

He passionately taught Yi-gang the Great Yin Flow technique he had perfected.

The basic foundation was quite similar to the existing Great Yin Flow.

The Great Yin Flow was a training method that involved reciting specific phrases to clear one’s mind while moving the body. From adopting the initial stance to executing the final move, everything must flow like water.

Because of his inability to cultivate internal energy, Yi-gang could only learn this much, and he had always practiced it.

Following the steps he had memorized perfectly, Yi-gang demonstrated the Great Yin Flow based on the new sequence taught by the Immortal Divine Sword.

「While your spirit is lacking, your perseverance isn’t bad. Start again from the beginning.」

Completing one cycle of Great Yin Flow took about 30 minutes. It always ended with a powerful strike executed into the open air.

“Huff…!”

Yi-gang’s fist lightly pierced the air. A single drop of sweat fell from his chin.

The one difference from his previous practice was that the figure of the Immortal Divine Sword was hovering in front of him.

Yi-gang’s fist that had passed through his solar plexus, escaped again.

「The true purpose of creating the Great Yin Flow is to materialize will into reality. When your fist, made of flesh and blood, can touch my soul, only then will you truly understand its essence.」

“Huff, hack.”

「This is the sixth time, isn’t it? Again.」

What the Immortal Divine Sword was asking of him was absurd: to strike him, a spirit, with the final move of the perfected Great Yin Flow.

When Yi-gang first heard this request, he was taken aback.

Striking a ghost with bare fists as the aim of training? This was a different path from the martial arts training methods he knew. It did not even feel possible.

After three and a half hours, on his seventh attempt at the Great Yin Flow, his fist still merely whizzed through the air.

「Hmm, your perseverance exceeds my expectations. With your talent, my descendant, there’s no need to worry.」

Yi-gang never showed signs of fatigue or distress. The Immortal Divine Sword was quite pleased with his demeanor.

「It took me 10 years to touch ‘nothingness’ and another 20 to cut through it. However, since you’re more gifted than I am, I expect you’ll be able to touch me in three years and cut through me in about 10.」

But that did not mean he was being kind to Yi-gang.

「But by that time, I wonder if you’ll be dead and become a ghost like me. You’ll meet that child called Sohwa soon, so you must be happy. Hehehe!」

He wasn’t lying. It would genuinely take that amount of time for Yi-gang to grasp what the Immortal Divine Sword realized in his lifetime. Yi-gang might even die before reaching that level of understanding.

「A true martial artist must burn his life in training. Work hard, work very hard.」

The more he saw him, the more he liked his descendant. The thought of watching Yi-gang struggle every day delighted him so much that he felt full without eating.

The saying ‘To attain enlightenment, one must die’ was also true.

Unless one died once, truly realized the futility of all things in the world, was reborn, and overcame infinite emptiness by losing oneself, it was an unreachable state of realization.

How could a 14-year-old boy achieve such enlightenment?

The Immortal Divine Sword misjudged that.

「Put your will into your fist!」

“Huff, hack.”

So, he did not notice the change in Yi-gang on his eighth attempt at the Great Yin Flow.

It was not because his fists got faster or because the true Qi in his blood vessels flowed that his destructive power became stronger.

It was the look in Yi-gang’s eyes that changed.

Despite his weak body, he repeatedly and tirelessly practiced the Great Yin Flow, and with the guidance of the absolute master, the Immortal Divine Sword, he reached a state of selflessness.

Having already died once and been reborn, Yi-gang, contrary to the Immortal Divine Sword’s thoughts, was fully qualified.

“Huh.”

Once again, the Great Yin Flow performed by his exhausted body came to an end.

Just as Yi-gang’s fist slowly extended toward the Immortal Divine Sword’s abdomen, the Immortal Divine Sword too realized something amiss.

「Oh.」

Within Yi-gang’s fist, there was the very “will” that the Immortal Divine Sword had fervently spoken of.

Thud—

Although faint, there was an unmistakable sound of impact.

And the spot on the Immortal Divine Sword’s abdomen where Yi-gang’s fist landed dispersed like smoke with a loud puff.

「Ughhhh!」

A vortex-like hole formed on the Immortal Divine Sword’s abdomen. Being a ghost, no blood oozed out, but the Immortal Divine Sword felt pain for the first time since his death.

「I-I’m being enlightened1!」

For a moment, he thought he was experiencing what one might call “enlightenment2”

Yi-gang’s progress was faster than expected.

And by a large margin.

1. The 'enlightened' here is derieved from the bhuddist term, gaining enlightenment and ascending to nirvana ️

2. Refer to note 1 ️

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