The Incense Line's Jingyang Hall.
Four Taoists sat before the pot-bellied Taoist Master Jingyang.
Among them, a Taoist in an official's robe holding a yin-yang board in one hand spoke up.
"In about three days, the restoration of the scripture will be complete. Once that's done, the Incense Line will flow naturally again."
To this, Master Jingyang replied while fanning himself with a large fan.
"So it's already come to that. Time flows as steadily as the natural order itself. This was only possible thanks to your tireless effort, working day and night."
"The disciples also toiled alongside us. How could all the credit be ours alone?"
A Taoist with a flute at his waist replied modestly to Master Jingyang's praise.
Smiling gently, Master Jingyang asked him,
"All of you are truly virtuous. Come to think of it, weren't you the one teaching Yunhui yesterday? Have you completed the full transmission?"
Three years and eight months.
That is how long the eight Taoists of the Incense Line had taught Jin Yunhui.
Except for breaks to restore the scripture, they had devoted themselves sincerely to passing on their respective skills.
At first, they were reluctant, but at some point, teaching turned into a subtle competition among them.
After all, when each was teaching from an equal footing, it would be shameful if one's skill was seen as lacking.
"For three years and eight months, the eight masters taught him by splitting the time among themselves. How could we pass on all the depth? Still, the child's talent is so terrifyingly outstanding that he has fully mastered the basic melodies of the Mokwon-Hwasonggok."
"Hahaha. You were so worried because he had no prior training in music, but that's a relief."
"To be honest, I even considered taking him as an official disciple."
Hearing this, the Taoist with the yin-yang board nodded in agreement.
"Looks like you and I feel the same."
"You too?"
"I only intended to give him the basics of Soreum-Hwayang Seonmu to ground him in yin and yang in that short time. But his innate talent was so remarkable that I ended up teaching him all sorts of things without realizing."
In response, a woman wearing only one shoe exclaimed in surprise.
"Weren't we each supposed to teach only one skill?"
"When the student receives well, the teacher naturally desires to teach more. Isn't that only natural? Didn't you, Lady Sa, also teach more than just Chehwa-Manbyeonsul?"
"Ahem."
At that question, the one-shoed woman awkwardly cleared her throat.
It seemed she too had taught more than she claimed.
As a few Taoists burst into laughter, she hastily explained herself.
"...Well, Chehwa-Manbyeonsul doesn't take as long to learn as the other techniques, so I just gave him a few extra pointers."
"I heard you tweaked his body movement technique too."
At the flute-carrying Taoist's remark, she replied with a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Among the movement techniques he learned, the fastest one seemed a bit unstable, so I just gave him some advice, Senior."
"You still taught him, didn't you?"
"Well, that's..."
"What's the harm? It's a good thing. Hahaha!"
As the Taoist with the flute laughed heartily, her face turned slightly red.
Then the yin-yang board Taoist turned to the woman holding a lotus flower.
"Come to think of it, weren't you the first to complete your teaching? And yet, you've never spoken a word about the child. Are you still dissatisfied?"
The woman with the lotus replied curtly,
"What's there to brag about just because I taught him something?"
"There you go again. From what I hear, you're quite deeply connected to him."
"Connected? Me?"
"If he learned a treasure left behind by you in the mundane world, then he's practically your successor, isn't he? Shouldn't you have paid more attention to him?"
"Paid more attention? Hah! Don't be absurd."
"Pardon?"
"Before I left the world, I deliberately tore up and burned the final step. He managed to master it on his own. There wasn't much left for me to teach. What more attention should I have paid?"
"Is he really that remarkable?"
'!?'
As the Taoists reacted in surprise, the woman seemed to realize she'd said too much and clamped her mouth shut.
Though she had taught him due to circumstances, she still had her reservations. She had avoided praising him out loud, but now she had unintentionally ended up doing just that.
Hearing all this, Master Jingyang burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! So the boy is that talented. How fortunate! If there are only three days left, who's teaching him now?"
"Senior Jang said he'll finish today, so Senior Yeo will take over for the remaining time."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"She's in for a tough time."
All the Taoists turned their gaze out the window.
---
–Boom!
"Ugh!"
The wall of the cliff dented as he was hurled against it from the force of the blow.
Even though he managed to block the trembling spear's tip, the sheer power behind it was overwhelming.
It felt like his spine would break.
A Taoist appeared through the cloud of dust, holding a spear wrapped in red cloth.
He was the Taoist known only as Master Jang.
Even after three years and eight months, he hadn't revealed his real name.
Since he had left the mundane world, he told others to simply call him Jang Soseon or Master Jang. The latter stuck.
"You're exaggerating."
Master Jang said dismissively.
Despite fighting with full force in their sparring, he said such things.
I could only click my tongue inwardly.
There was no point making excuses—he wasn't someone who would accept them.
I crawled out of the dented cliff wall.
Part of my clothing got snagged and tore, exposing a bit of my chest.
"Ahem."
At that, Master Jang turned his head aside and said,
"Either fix your clothing or undo your Chehwa-Manbyeonsul. How long are you going to stay like that? Tsk tsk."
He clicked his tongue.
—Blushing at your age...
Sodam Sword chuckled.
The reason was obvious—my current appearance.
My chest wasn't muscular like a man's—it had the soft curves of a woman.
Per Master Nam's instructions while learning Chehwa-Manbyeonsul, I maintained the altered appearance even subconsciously for practice.
The day before yesterday, I looked like Sama Yeong. Yesterday, like my father, Jin Seongbaek the Peerless Wind God.
Now, I had taken the form of Baek Hyeryang.
Chehwa-Manbyeonsul was so subtle that it could even alter one's gender.
Of course, internal organs didn't change, so I couldn't get pregnant or anything like that.
"I apologize."
I adjusted the open part of my chest.
At first, it was embarrassing to get used to Chehwa-Manbyeonsul, but I had adapted by now.
—Whoosh!
As I reached out, a spear on the ground flew into my palm.
Handling energy had become as natural as breathing, and attracting objects in the air was no longer difficult.
As I gripped the spear, Master Jang pointed his own spear at me and said,
"If your spear doesn't reach me even once, the sparring isn't over. Understand?"
"I understand, Master."
Hearing my tone and voice, Sodam Sword groaned internally.
—That voice with that appearance… It's still so weird.
He wasn't a fan of Baek Hyeryang.
So he often grumbled about how odd it was to hear her voice mixed with my speech patterns.
—You should act the part fully. If you're going to look like that sly fox, then talk like her too. Snort or something.
'You want me to talk all arrogant like Baek Hyeryang in front of my hot-tempered master?'
Be serious.
That's something I can do later.
Back when I was a spy, I often impersonated others.
Now that I could even change my appearance freely, this was nothing.
"What are you daydreaming about!"
—Swoosh!
Master Jang thrust his spear at me with a shout.
The tip of the spear curved like a living snake, aiming for my vital points.
To bring about such a transformation in what was a simple thrust was truly an impressive feat.
Whoosh!
I, too, responded by thrusting my spear.
Though I couldn't give the tip the same liveliness, having sparred with him for so long, I had seen it enough to react.
Cha-cha-cha-cha-chang!
Our spear tips clashed nearly six times in a fleeting moment.
My palm holding the spear felt like it was going to tear apart.
The Eight Masters had long periods of cultivation, making their internal energy incomparable to mine.
Of course, that alone doesn't equate to superior martial skill.
For instance, Masters Han, Ha, and Nam—when judged purely on martial skill alone—I was arguably superior even three years ago.
However, their years of cultivation cannot be evaluated solely by their martial techniques.
Ugh!
I tilted my head to the side to avoid a spear thrust aimed at my face.
Then quickly tried to deflect the incoming spear shaft upward with my other hand.
At that moment—
Paaaang!
The spear shaft bent and cunningly aimed for my chest.
Without a moment to think, I instinctively attempted to dodge using the new agility technique I had become accustomed to from the Wind and Cloud Steps.
"You were told to put everything into the spear tip!"
Master Jang's shout rang out.
I stopped trying to retreat and instead twisted the trajectory of my own spear.
As I applied a spring-like curve from my shoulder to wrist—
Whi-ri-ri-ring!
My spear curved like a snake, wrapped around Master Jang's spear shaft, and struck it downward.
Not missing the opportunity, I stepped on Master Jang's spear shaft and aimed my spear tip at his neck.
For the first time, I successfully executed Living Spear One Strike, the essence of the True Art of the Golden Spear.
Looking at my spear tip trembling as if it would touch his neck, Master Jang smirked and said,
"Only now are you finally worth something."
"It's all thanks to your guidance."
"Don't spout nonsense. If you slack off in your spear training as you did with swordsmanship, you'll soon forget that sensation."
"I'll keep it in mind—!?"
As I answered, I was startled.
He had stepped closer, and his left hand's knife-hand strike had stopped just in front of my chest.
Judging by his steps, he could have gone further but had stopped.
In the end, it seemed like he had gone easy on me again.
—Or maybe he stopped for another reason.
What are you implying?
No matter how you spin it, in the end, you didn't hold back that strike.
"Move your foot. Or shall we continue?"
"Ah!"
I quickly removed my foot from Master Jang's spear shaft.
He then stood his spear up, turned his head, and looked somewhere.
"My instruction ends here today. No need to hide anymore, Lady Disciple."
It was a small hill covered in brush.
Someone appeared from there.
"So you knew, Brother Jang."
It was the Sword Saint, Sun Yang-ja.
Even after three years, when he concealed his presence, he was impossible to detect.
To find him so easily—Master Jang was indeed incredible.
With a few gestures from Master Jang, the spear shaft in his hand shortened.
Wearing the shortened spear at his waist, he spoke to the Sword Saint.
"Had I more time, I could have made him surpass his swordsmanship with the spear."
"Is that so?"
"Tsk."
Clicking his tongue at the Sword Saint's modesty, Master Jang gave me a look before disappearing.
The ground slightly trembled as he vanished, but it was not the Agility Technique.
It was what is commonly called Space-Shifting.
I had always wanted to learn it, but it was said to be impossible without hundreds of years of Taoist cultivation.
The Sword Saint smiled warmly and said,
"Your spear handling has improved greatly."
"I still have a long way to go."
Only when I can imbue each movement with the essence of Living Spear One Strike can I truly say I wield the spear properly.
It's not something that can be accomplished overnight—it takes years of training.
The Sword Saint asked,
"What will you do? Want to rest for two hours after finishing your training?"
"No. I haven't fully learned the Great Dao Thunder Escape Sword Technique. How could I waste the remaining time?"
He smiled approvingly at my words.
And I wasn't just being humble.
Only three days remain.
When the Scripture Seal is fully restored, the fuse will be lit once more.
But I have yet to master Thunder Wall Sky Escape—the pinnacle of the Great Dao Thunder Escape Sword Technique.
"You've already reached a level beyond normal cultivation just by learning my Thunder Sword Escape."
"The opponent wields artifacts. I can't be complacent with just that."
I had drilled the knowledge of the four artifacts that Ja Gyeong-jeong took until my ears bled.
Just the Thunder Sword Escape is not enough.
If I can master the Thunder Wall Sky Escape, the technique that once let the Sword Saint defeat a dragon, I can be sure of victory.
The Sword Saint shook his head as if conceding.
"It's not easy to master Thunder Wall Sky Escape with a human body that hasn't cultivated the Tao. You haven't forgotten how close you came to death recently?"
"...I haven't forgotten."
I truly almost said goodbye to life.
Surviving the learning process itself was miraculous.
If I didn't have a body that recovered quickly, I couldn't have even attempted it.
"If that's truly your will, then so be it. But if it gets too dangerous, you may stop at any time."
"Understood."
Swish!
The Sword Saint extended his hand, and the artifact Sky Escape, sheathed on his back, revealed itself.
I needed the power of Sky Escape, the artifact capable of manipulating thunder and lightning.
—Are you really going to be okay?
—Unhui, don't overdo it.
If I'm going to do this, I must do it properly.
Better than learning halfway and failing.
I'll subdue him completely and return things to how they were.
"I'll release the Thousand Transformations Art first."
"Very well."
In the Thousand Transformations state, my bones had been altered, so I couldn't use my full martial abilities.
Numerically, I could only display about 70% of my strength.
Crunch, crack! Crackle!
As my skeletal structure shifted, my body grew larger.
My shoulders broadened and my loose clothing fit again.
Once I returned to my original form, the Sword Saint lifted the Sky Escape artifact upward.
Rumble!
The clear sky darkened and thunderclouds gathered.
No matter how many times I saw it, it was awe-inspiring.
Artifact power could even alter the laws of nature.
Among the eight great artifacts, Sky Escape and Spirit Brush were said to be the most powerful.
But in terms of raw force, Sky Escape was the strongest.
"If it seems impossible, don't hesitate to stop."
"Understood."
With that, I drew the Namcheon Iron Sword and lifted it.
Then clenched my teeth.
In that moment, blue lightning in the form of roots fell from the thunderclouds.
Crack-crackle-snap!
It surged through the Namcheon Iron Sword and into my body, forcing a scream out of me.
"GUAAAGGGHHH!!"
It felt like every vein in my body was burning.
The pain was hundreds—no, thousands—of times worse than when I first learned Thunder Sword Escape.
Even after nearly a hundred attempts, this pain never became familiar.
I had to endure the thunder's energy—but it felt like I was going to die.
[Adapt. You must not resist the thunder's energy, but embrace it in harmony.]
The Sword Saint's advice echoed in my ears.
But that was easier said than done.
Even as I tried to harmonize with the thunder, my nerves felt like they were burning away.
[No good. I'll stop it.]
At his voice transmission, I shouted,
"No!"
I had already failed too many times to give up again.
If I passed out, fine—but I couldn't stop halfway.
But my eyelids were getting heavier.
—Unhui!
My eyes were closing.
Was this another failure?
Maybe Thunder Sword Escape is truly beyond a human's reach.
At that moment, a voice—not from the Namcheon Iron Sword or the Sodam Sword—resounded in my mind.
—Stubborn one, as expected from that bloodline.
I couldn't tell whose voice it was.
But since it echoed in my mind, it had to be the voice of a sword.
Then it happened.
Something pierced into my mind and incomprehensible things began to flow in.
It was unlike any memory—it was something beyond that.
Crack-crack-crackle!
In that instant, blue light erupted all over my body, filled with brilliant thunderbolts.
"!!!"
The Sword Saint's eyes trembled at the sight.
From that, I understood.
I had finally reached the state of harmony with the thunder energy that he spoke of.