Chapter 14

Boom!
The thirteenth precept of the Twenty-Four Commandments of the Volcano Sect.
Disciples of the Volcano Sect are forbidden to fight amongst themselves or with their dead brothers.
The maximum punishment is excommunication after a council, and the lowest position as a land prosecutor is revoked.
‘What reminds me of this clause is…….’
He smiled bitterly and looked at Zhang Wenyin.
“As you know, it’s the thirteenth commandment of the Twenty-Fourth Commandment of the Volcanic Sect.”
“I see…….”
Should I be happy that my prediction was correct?
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to punish you too much.”
“Oh?”
I said, stunned by the unexpected words.
Sure enough, the thirteenth commandment was, “Deprive the lowest land prosecutor of his command.
But isn’t that a big punishment?
“I know the character of those two, Liu Hyuk and Zhang Il, and it’s Elder Mujin’s business, so I’m dealing with them lightly.”
“Master Mujin’s business?”
It had been almost two weeks since I had heard his name.
“Elder Mujin has succeeded in his mission. A telegram has come to say that he is currently on his way back from Sichuan, unscathed.”
“Thank God.”
The ominous news still haunts me to this day.
The meteor shower the day Master left.
I was relieved to hear that he was unharmed.
“Enough about that, let me tell you your punishment.”
Gulp.
He said it wasn’t a big punishment, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
“From now on, you are forbidden to test the Seven Deadly Sins for one year.”
The gateway to the Seven Prefectures.
The gateway to becoming a master swordsman.
For an ordinary disciple, this discipline would be a big deal.
But I am different.
I’m a reformed plum blade, organized and controlled.
I had no intention of becoming a master swordsman when I still had so much to learn.
Therefore, I was happy to accept.
“I see.”
“If you understand, let’s go.”
I took a bow and walked out.
I politely closed the door behind me and walked over to the drunken rock.
“Huh?”
I saw someone standing by the entrance to the hermitage.
Upon closer inspection, it was Yeon-hwa.
“What happened? Are you okay?
Yeonhwa asked with a worried expression.
I replied coolly.
“Yes, there’s no need to worry, it’s just that I’m forbidden to test the Seven Evils for a year.”
“Forbidden for a year?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe, that’s a surprisingly light punishment.”
“It’s a good thing.”
He replied lightly and turned to go inside, but Yeonhwa grabbed his shoulder.
“What? Why?”
“Stop arguing and follow me.”
I couldn’t resist the forcefulness of her tone.
I silently followed behind Yeonhwa.
We arrived at a large open field.
“What is this place……?”
“This is a secret place I found. When you don’t want to be seen by others, you can train here. I call it the secret training ground.”
There were no obstacles like pebbles on the floor, and it was a good place to train.
When I finished looking around, I said.
“Did you ask me to follow you to show me this place?”
“How could it be?”
Hmph.
Yan Hua laughed and drew her sword.
“Hmm?”
“Here, raise your fist. It’s a check.”
“A check?”
What inspection?
What’s there to check?
“Jiang Chenshu, I told you I’m done, I’m going to inspect you.”
I don’t know why he’s suddenly doing this, but he’s the one I’ve always wanted to try my hand at, so I move away from him and do the flag ceremony.
“Woohoo!”
It always starts with a little tension and a deep breath.
I raised my fist and looked at Yeon-hwa.
She started first.
Tadak!
Yan Hua closed the distance in an instant and thrust her sword down.
Pow!
The sword shot straight for his head.
But it wasn’t fast enough for her to dodge, so she turned her head slightly to avoid it.
Her eyebrows knit together, as if she was surprised that she was able to dodge so easily.
Yan Hua continued to strike with her sword.
She dodged with a plum blossom dance and charged inside.
Pow!
“Ahem!”
Zheng Zheng slashed at her, and Yan Hua dodged with a bewildered face.
Zhang Tianxiu elbowed Zheng Zhiqing.
The elbow of his outstretched hand slammed into Yan Hua’s shoulder.
Puck!
With a heavy thud, Yan Hua was knocked back.
“Something’s weird……?”
It was weird, a lot weird.
“Yeonhwa, stop for a second.”
“Yeah, that…… is.”
Yeonhwa’s voice trembled with panic.
Still weird.
“Are you kidding me? You don’t even dodge, you just slowly thrust your sword out. This is not the way to behave, no matter how friendly you are.”
At my words, Yeonhwa stared at me for a moment, dumbfounded.
“Not dodging? Slow sword?”
It was only a matter of moments before her dazed expression turned to one of incredulity.
“Do you think I’m kidding?”
“Yes. If you’re moving so slowly, it’s obvious you’re joking.”
“Wow, let me say something. When did you get so strong?”
“Huh?”
Stronger? I don’t know what you mean.
“I dodge an outstretched sword with as much speed as I can muster, and then instantly throw out a fist and attack with an elbow. Is this Jiang Chen Shu, and is this your skill?”
“I told you, I’m changing Jiang Chen Shui to suit me.”
“Okay, that’s fine. But attacking me with such speed that I can’t even see you, that’s not the you I’ve seen.”
“Invisible to you?”
“Uh, no, I didn’t see it. It’s not your martial arts skill that I’ve seen.”
“Hmph…….”
I pondered. The answer came quickly.
“Did you get stronger by fixing and organizing your diet?”
This was the answer.
A bunch of things I hadn’t realized, new realizations.
I had gotten stronger without realizing it.
“Whoa, this isn’t up to my inspection. Let’s stop, I’m not in the mood for a fight.”
The softening of the sword.
I relaxed and walked over to her side.
“Seriously, isn’t it too much to say that a Land Swordsman is stronger than a Zen Swordsman?”
“Hahaha.”
She laughed wryly, and we walked back to the drunken rock together.
“See you later. Bye.”
After Yan Hua left, I sat down and pondered.
‘I’ve gotten stronger…….’
Zhang Tianxiu’s summary of herbivory.
A stronger martial artist, a more experienced group.
The new swordsman, a man I didn’t even know, had surpassed Yan Hua’s martial arts skills.
‘No, now that I think about it, didn’t I build up a tremendous amount of internal strength with my cultivation?
I thought about it.
I may have gotten stronger by curing Jiang Tianxu’s initial diet, but the fundamental cause is my internal cultivation.
The source of your zhenxin hu shu, your i kung fu, is your inner work.
You’ve cultivated it with an efficiency that is incomparable to others, which is why you’re so strong.
I thought to myself, “If this is enough, can I break through another barrier in the lower level?
I was so focused on Jiang Chen Shu that I hadn’t focused on my technique.
He hadn’t focused on his technique because he had been concentrating on Jiang Chenshu.
‘Let’s try, let’s free ourselves from the suffering of disharmony.
Disharmony of body, mind, and soul.
The unpleasant sensation of being mentally alert but physically tired.
Thinking that I could escape from that feeling, I immediately sat down and started practicing the Jahasim method.
Natural energy enters through the nose.
The inner gong moves accordingly.
It went around the whole body in harmony.
After returning to the lower stance, Jing-ki circled his body again at a fast pace.
Twice, four times, eight times, sixteen times…….
Moving at a tremendous speed, Qin Lie circled fifteen times before crashing into the bottom.
Kwaaang!
The whole body shook.
The shock swept through his entire body.
But the shock was satisfying.
The bottom, the stop, and the top were in harmony.
I feel like my body and mind are one.
Something felt a little off, but it was a success.
“It worked!”
I shouted, pumping my fist in the air.
I was finally free of the bad feeling.
Chapter 6 Advice (1)
Half a year had passed since Master and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen had returned to a rousing welcome after the rain dance with Yan Hua.
The evidence of fall, the changing leaves.
The verdant greenery turns a deep red, and a cool breeze rustles through the forest.
In the western part of Zhongyuan, the volcanoes are transforming into something even more mysterious than in spring.
The volcanic sect, the Huashan Sect, was also changing little by little.
A few dozen Bo Ping disciples had been brought in, and a few Zen swordsmen had been born.
A meeting between Master Zhang of the Volcano and Master Zhang of Zhongnan.
Their meeting drew the attention of the entire Gu Family and the world.
The weakest sect of the Old Sect, Huashan, and another dying sect, Zhongnan.
The two sects began to work together to erase the stigma of being the weaker sect.
The first of these was a joint exercise for fellowship between the late masters.
Elder Qingwu and Elder Mu Zhen of the Quan Yun Clan at the edge of the Volcanic Sect were no exception.
“Focus your minds.”
Master Mujin spoke quietly.
“Relax your mind, but always remember to be tense so that you can react at full speed.”
I let each word sink in.
“Feel it. Do not forget the feel of the sword in your hand, the sensation of it through your skin.”
A hard sword bottle.
The antiquated hilt.
The cold hilt on your right palm.
Close your eyes and maximize the sense of touch among your five senses.
Control of the five senses.
One of the functions of the Jahasim method that I have realized in half a year.
“There will come a time when the sword will cry out and say. When that time comes, don’t refuse it, do what it wants.”
The sword speaks.
What can an inanimate object, a weapon, say?
But I don’t forget them, and I imprint them deep in my mind.
Each word is a piece of enlightenment, a cornerstone for ascension.
There is no word of the Master’s that is not necessary.
Even if you don’t understand it, remember it, it will come in handy one day.
“Do not think that the sword and you are different. The sword is not an extension of your arm. The sword is your hand, your arm, your body.”
The sword and the body are one, the body-sword unity.
But I don’t understand.
The sword is a sword, and the body is just a body, so how can you think of them as the same…….
“You don’t need to understand. You just need to remember that you have not yet reached that level of cultivation.”
You are not there yet.
You thought you were stronger, but you have not yet reached the true state of ascension.
“Release the sword, meditation is over. Enter the training of the heart.”
He opened his eyes and sheathed the sword in his palm.
With a click, the tip of the hilt and the scabbard touched.
Placing it beside his body, he shifted his position.
Sitting with his legs crossed, he clasped his hands together in a round circle, placed them on his lower belly, and straightened his back.
The palm of your right hand is wrapped around the back of your left hand, and the palms and soles of your feet are facing the sky.
This is a pseudo-sitting position.