The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

“It can’t be!”

That scream was not from Jun Myung or Yuk Su-chan. It was one of the third-generation disciples watching the martial arts spar who shouted it out.

Everyone was astonished. The fact that Son Hee-il, who was among the strongest of the third-generation disciples, was sent flying with a single strike.

But the person most shocked to see his friend tumbling on the ground was none other than Jun Myung.

“That can’t be possible…”

He had recently sparred with Son Hee-il.

Son Hee-il was in his prime condition. It was impossible for him to be defeated with a single blow.

“Sit down.”

One of the second-generation disciples, acting as an assistant in the examination, growled softly.

It was then that Jun Myung realized he had stood up abruptly.

“He’s alright.”

“Ah… Yes!”

Son Hee-il, who had fallen backward, twitched and then sprang up as if propelled.

Jun Myung sat down, patting his chest in relief. Fortunately, Son Hee-il had not lost consciousness.

Hee-il spat out the blood pooling in his mouth.

He was kicked in the jaw but managed to deflect most of the impact, which is why it ended this way. His exaggerated rebound was due to that.

He rubbed his sore jaw and spoke, “You’re fast.”

It was absurd to have a conversation during a martial arts spar, but his curiosity was overwhelming.

“How did you move faster than me without using internal energy?”

Son Hee-il was a martial prodigy. He had even realized the direction his swordsmanship was headed.

His pursuit of swift swordsmanship was unparalleled among the third-generation disciples. His wooden sword, swift as a flash of light, would strike vital points in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, he had launched a swift strike of the Blue Mountain Five Swords at the opponent’s throat without any carelessness.

But Yi-gang avoided that swift sword strike and then, with a foot technique, kicked Hee-il’s jaw. It was incomprehensible to him.

If truly unable to use internal energy, such movement was absolutely impossible.

“Answer me.”

However, that was solely from Son Hee-il’s perspective.

“It’s not that I’m fast.”

“What…?”

“It’s not that I’m faster than you. If I must put it into words, it’s more like I’m earlier.”

Son Hee-il furrowed his brows. Not “fast,” but “earlier?”

“Playing with words…”

Son Hee-il executed a controlling strike. This time, it was aimed at the torso.

Yi-gang responded calmly.

「Do you see it?」

It was visible again.

The warning conveyed by Son Hee-il’s entire body before his sword even flew.

The momentary pause in breathing, the gaze rising in the direction the sword would swing, the big toe of the foot where the weight first shifted.

Knowing in advance that the sword would come flying, no matter how fast the sword strike was, it could be avoided.

Swoosh—

Just moments ago, where Yi-gang’s chest had been, the wooden sword passed through.

「With your keen senses and accumulated experience, you should now see more broadly and farther than before.」

Yi-gang had experiences that Son Hee-il and the third-generation disciples didn’t have.

The real combat experience of facing death multiple times, and even losing his internal energy, he once had intense genuine sword fights with an uncle who had surpassed the Supreme Peak level.

It wasn’t for nothing that the Immortal Divine Sword advised Yi-gang to accumulate real combat experience.

As for Son Hee-il, who fought revealing everything like a novice, his sword moves were completely transparent.

The examiners also recognized that Yi-gang had seen through Son Hee-il’s sword.

“Hmm.”

Sage Do Gang narrowed his eyes sharply.

As the Blue Flower Palace’s Wisdom Sword Pavilion Master, he was known for his strict and fearsome personality among the first-generation disciples.

He had just expressed his admiration for the recent martial arts spar.

“Amazing, beyond expectations.”

“Are you referring to Yi-gang?”

Only Jin Mu, a great disciple, dared to speak so casually to Sage Do Gang.

At Jin Mu’s words, Sage Do Gang nodded.

“And that Hee-il boy is quite impressive too.”

“Hee-il?”

“His swift swordsmanship has matured well. It’s usually not good for such tendencies to solidify at a young age… But he seems to have the talent to continue developing.”

Jin Mu’s eyes widened. It was rare for Sage Do Gang to praise someone.

There were more than a few second-generation disciples who regretted joining Blue Flower Palace to learn swordsmanship from Sage Do Gang.

“Hee-il is also from a sword clan.”

“The Son Clan… Indeed.”

The Son Clan was a well-known sword clan in Hunan. Of course, their reputation couldn’t be compared to that of Yi-gang’s clan.

“How about Yi-gang?” Jin Mu asked, more curious.

“Seems like the blood is thick. Even born with meridian blockage disease, a Baek is still a Baek.”

Yi-gang dodged Son Hee-il’s sword and frequently thrust his wooden sword. His strikes invariably hit Hee-il’s arms or legs.

Yi-gang was dominating.

“Despite Hee-il’s sword being extremely fast, Yi-gang manages to counterattack.”

“Yes, Yi-gang… Do Gang…”

Jin Mu looked at Sage Do Gang with a peculiar expression. His usually dry, tree-like demeanor was different.

He swallowed hard, waiting for Sage Do Gang’s assessment.

But what came out of Sage Do Gang’s mouth wasn’t about the swordplay, but an unexpected remark.

“A martial artist who has the word ‘Gang’ in his name… is naturally strong.”

A twisted smile hung on Sage Do Gang’s lips.

When Jin Mu rubbed his eyes and looked again, that smile had vanished.

“His name is Yi-gang, not just Gang. His surname is Baek…”

“Focus.”

Sage Do Gang cut him off.

“The end seems near.”

His words were prophetic. The sharp rhythm of the wooden swords clashing slowed down.

“That boy Yi-gang still has much to learn.”

“Indeed.”

Yi-gang had already landed several hits with his wooden sword on his opponent. However, none of them were better than the initial kick to Son Hee-il’s jaw.

“His physical body is weak, lacking strength. It would have been better with a real sword. But this is a martial arts spar.”

“Hee-il also seems to be out of breath.”

“There’s no more point in continuing.”

With those words, the outcome was truly decided.

Crack!

Yi-gang’s wooden sword jabbed sharply into Son Hee-il’s calf.

Son Hee-il groaned in pain and knelt down.

“Stop!”

The martial arts spar ended with Sage Do Gang’s stern command.

Son Hee-il leaned on his wooden sword and looked frustrated. His ankle and shin had been hit multiple times. There would be bruises.

But his heart ached more than his stinging legs.

“I will give the scores.”

He ultimately couldn’t land a single strike on Yi-gang. If only one of his sword strikes had properly hit, the victory would have been his…

“Son Hee-il of the blue side. Had this been a real sword spar, your leg would have been cut off long ago.”

The outcome was actually decided at the moment he first got hit.

“However, your swordplay was decent and there was no break in the flow. Not a small achievement… I’ll give you nine points.”

Jin Ri-yeon wrote nine in Son Hee-il’s scorebook.

Hee-il looked at Sage Do Gang’s mouth and then turned to Yi-gang.

“Baek Yi-gang. There is excessive deficiency in physical strength and stamina. However, you have the eyes befitting a swordsman.”

Yi-gang, though breathless, stood firmly on his two feet.

“Ten points.”

That was the highest score. It was ten points because there was no higher score to give.

Son Hee-il’s face darkened. He wasn’t the only one; Jun Myung and Yu Su-rin, who were watching the spar, also looked somber.

Yi-gang had not missed the first place in any of the tests so far. Even in this martial arts spar, he received a higher score than Hee-il.

A newcomer who hadn’t even been a disciple for a month might become the great disciple among the hundred third-generation disciples.

Yi-gang and Son Hee-il stepped down from the sparring stage.

Jin Mu cautiously asked Sage Do Gang.

“Now that it’s come to this, Yi-gang is surely the top student in this exam.”

“Tsk!”

Sage Do Gang suddenly clicked his tongue. He tapped his dry finger on the scabbard, seemingly displeased.

“That won’t happen.”

“What? It won’t?”

“Don’t you know what the third test, overseen by that Do Seon, is?”

Now that the light footwork technique and martial arts spar have been observed, what remained was the internal energy test.

Certainly, it was a test disadvantageous for Yi-gang. His constitution didn’t allow for the accumulation of energy in the dantian.

However, that didn’t mean Yi-gang’s overall top ranking was out of reach. To test a disciple’s internal energy, the Azure Forest had traditionally employed a classic method.

“It’s the test of cutting through blue stone, isn’t it?”

Using a steel sword to cut through hard blue stone. The depth of the sword marks on the blue stone was used to assess the level of one’s internal energy.

A venerable tradition passed down through many sects.

However, there was a flaw in this test.

The creation of sword marks was heavily influenced by muscle strength and swordsmanship. That meant even Yi-gang, who lacked internal energy, could still leave some marks on the blue stone.

And considering his swordsmanship, it seemed he wouldn’t be much behind the third-generation disciples who still hadn’t fully developed their internal energy.

“Do Seon changed the test.”

“What?”

Sage Do Seon, Sage Do Gang’s junior brother, was the Bright Sun Pavilion Master.

Unlike the dry and sharp-eyed Sage Do Gang, Sage Do Seon was a person of generous character and had a fuller figure. He was always in a tussle with Sage Do Gang.

“How has it changed?”

After a glance at Jin Mu, Sage Do Gang explained in a low voice.

Upon hearing about the changed test format, Jin Mu’s mouth fell open.

“Certainly…”

“Yes, that’s how it is now.”

They looked down at Yi-gang, who was sitting quietly alone, receiving no congratulations.

Yi-gang, who had overwhelmingly dominated the third-generation disciples, was soon to face a great challenge.

Not long after, the day of the internal energy test arrived.

“Haha, you are the future of our Azure Forest,” said Sage Do Seon with a kind smile.

His appearance, patting his protruding belly and gently waving a fan, reminded them of Zhongli Quan, one of the Eight Immortals, suggesting his nature was full of compassion.

“Soon you will be official disciples. You’ve worked hard.”

Warm smiles spread across the faces of the third-generation disciples.

After all, the promotion to the next level was essentially at the end of this test. What followed would depend on their chosen path.

“Especially in the martial arts spar, you must have had a hard time because of Sage Do Gang. Did that stubborn old man not trouble you? Haha!”

The third-generation disciples, initially smiling warmly, now wore troubled expressions.

Regardless, Sage Do Seon looked around at the children with a broad grin.

“Here, we will assess your achievements in internal energy. It’s also the test with the highest scoring. Does anyone know why that is?”

Do Seon’s small eyes scrutinized the children.

Someone shot their hand up. Do Seon recognized her immediately – she had eyes just like his youngest junior brother, Yu Jeong-shin.

“Right, you’re Su-rin?”

“Yes, Bright Sun Pavilion Master.”

“Let’s hear what you have to say.”

Yu Su-rin answered clearly and distinctly, “Internal energy cultivation is the starting point of all rising martial arts.”

“Half right.”

At the words “half right,” Yu Su-rin looked disappointed. Do Seon smiled lightly and added an explanation.

“The era of dividing martial studies into internal and external art, like the vast sea, has passed. In the era of the Great Ming, the purpose of learning martial arts branched out in hundreds of ways, each different from the other…”

He lifted his fan made of feathers.

The closely packed feathers began to separate, as if they were alive.

It was an admirable display of energy control.

“However, our Azure Forest, along with other Taoist martial sects, all aim for one ultimate point in our martial training. Do you know what that is?”

Do Seon scanned the children, but again, it was only Yu Su-rin who eagerly raised her hand.

“Alright, Su-rin, tell us again.”

“It’s to reach the state of an immortal!”

“That’s correct.”

Taoist sects aimed to become immortals.

Originally, in Taoist practices among the public, the secret art of alchemy was used to create elixirs to become immortals.

However, Taoist martial sects like Wudang and Azure Forest aimed to become immortals through the training of martial arts.

“The ultimate goal of a Taoist martial artist is to refine the body through martial arts to reach the realm of immortals. That is why training in internal energy cultivation takes precedence even before physical conditioning! After all, the physical body is ultimately bound to the earthly realm…”

Do Seon spoke majestically, but the children just blinked.

He quickly realized his mistake.

Such talk of immortality was unlikely to appeal to these boys and girls.

“Ahem, anyway. Since the existing methods can’t fully gauge internal energy achievement, I have devised a new test format.”

Saying this, Sage Do Seon approached something covered with a cloth.

It was an object much taller than a person, which had been piquing the curiosity of the third-generation disciples.

“A method that minimizes the influence of swordsmanship or muscle strength, focusing solely on the internal energy one possesses!”

As he unveiled the object, something unusual was revealed.

“It’s a bianzhong. Interesting, isn’t it? Ehehe.”

A bianzhong was a type of musical instrument. On a long rod, twelve bells were hanging in a row.

Starting from the smallest bell on the left, the bells increased in size towards the right.

“This bianzhong is specially made from yellow jade, which is highly sensitive to Qi.”

How can the twelve bells determine the achievement of internal energy? Master Do Seon soon demonstrated the method himself.

“See here, at the end of the rod there is a dragon head carved? Gently grasp this dragon head with your hand…”

That meant holding the end of the rod with the right hand.

“Guide your internal energy to the center of your palm… and release it all at once.”

Then, something astonishing happened.

Without any wind, the bell closest to Do Seon’s hand began to sway.

Dadadadadang—

All twelve bells chimed in sequence.

The sound was so clear and melodious, like birds singing in unison.

The third-generation disciples gazed in awe at what Do Seon had accomplished. It was a high-level demonstration of energy release using only the power of his Qi.

“Haha, just do it like this.”

Do Seon spoke with a laugh, as if it were a simple task.

A look of excitement crept onto the faces of the third-generation disciples.

And at this moment, there were people who were particularly beaming with smiles.

It was Son Hee-il and his two close companions.

They all turned to look at Yi-gang, then exchanged glances. Quietly, they murmured among themselves.

“He said he can’t use internal energy, right?”

“Sure. It wasn’t a lie.”

What Do Seon had shown was absolutely impossible for someone with the meridian blockage disease.

“If he scores the lowest this time… it’s a game changer.”

That meant the representative of the third-generation disciples, the great disciple, would be determined by this test.

Their eyes all lit up at once.

“So…”

“The great disciple.”

“It should be me.”

It was a moment when their ambition was reignited.