Chapter 15

“Close your eyes and begin to chant.”
Move your Qi to perform Suzhou Qian.
The energy moves through the set points.
Gradually increase the force.
One lap, two laps, increasing strength.
I let the energy grow uncontrollably.
“Don’t let go of the spirit. Focus on the movement of the energy.”
Driven (Egoless). I awakened my deeply submerged mind and focused on the movement of the energy as my master said.
Reciting the nine phrases of the Jahasim, he guided his aura.
“Do you see anything?”
Unki is no different from any other day.
I wonder what he sees.
“I can’t see it either. That’s why habits are scary. You’ve always done it, you’ve gotten used to it, and you don’t know what’s wrong until someone points it out to you. Do you think your energy travels unimpeded along the meridians?”
Unobstructed.
Unimpeded.
I refocused my attention.
The energy moved swiftly along its usual path.
I felt something.
The energy was trying to escape from the established channels, albeit faintly.
But because it was blocked, it couldn’t pass through and returned.
“Do you understand? Yes, your True Qi is not unobstructed. It only thinks it is because it moves within a certain framework. You didn’t realize it because it was blocked, because it felt weak. Do you know what separates the first-class from the second-class martial artist? It’s whether you know this or not. In order to attain the all-encompassing state of ascension, the movement of the True Qi must be unobstructed and unrelenting. It also requires observation and persistence to recognize these facts.”
The mindset and behaviors required to ascend.
All of them were unknown to me.
I concentrated harder on the sound of my teacher’s voice.
“Do you understand? Don’t settle into a rut, don’t be complacent, think about what’s wrong and what’s right, and don’t ignore any little thing. For there is nothing in the world that is worthless, but nothing that is useless.”
The difference between values and mindset.
The last words resonate in my mind.
“Now, then, slowly pierce the wall.”
I follow my master’s words and direct the energy traveling through the designated acupuncture points to the blocked acupuncture points.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
With great force, the energy pierced through the wall of impurities blocking the blood channels.
It burned away the wall of fire qi that had accumulated in the world before entering the Huashan School, and transformed into a true Huashan School Mundo.
“Unity with Nature. You have burned away the obstacles to unity with nature that have accumulated in this world, and the foundation for ascension has been laid. Stop and get up.”
He did as he was told and opened his eyes.
“You seem to have realized something.”
Master Mujin looked satisfied.
I rolled my eyes and looked around.
The world looked different.
Even the weeds were alive, and there was something strange about the stones on the ground.
“The world seems different, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“This is the beginning of the ascension. Isn’t it wonderful?”
Amazing doesn’t begin to describe it.
I feel at one with nature.
If this is the beginning of the ascension, how great will the next state be?
“Come on, let’s go in.”
Master Mujin returns to the Quyun Mountain.
I followed him, organizing his advice and realizations in my mind.
He ate his food as usual, then sat back in his chair and looked at Master.
“Don’t you see that many things have changed since just now?”
“Yes.”
As I organized my realization in my mind, it became more apparent.
Nothing seemed different, not even the wooden chopsticks.
“Now that I have trained the mind and soul, I must train the body to harmonize them.”
With that, the master muttered to himself, got up, and walked over to the old chest.
He opened the lid and took something out.
“It’s…….”
It was an iron ring.
A hunk of iron with a round, looped center.
“Put it on your wrists and ankles.”
Master Mujin threw it with a flick.
Four iron circles flew toward me.
I expected them to be light because he was throwing something light.
“…….”
But no.
I felt a tremendous weight as soon as I picked them up.
If I hadn’t quickly drawn up my energy, I would have missed them.
“It will be a little heavy. About fifty pounds (20 kilograms).”
It’s not just a little heavy.
One is heavy, and there are four of them.
About the same weight as lifting a full-grown man.
“Go ahead and kick it.”
At Sensei’s command, I put it on my body.
Despite its bulk, the holes fit my wrists and ankles like they were custom-made for me.
Click!
I finished the last one on my right ankle and stood up.
“Uh…….”
Something was wrong.
My whole body felt sluggish, like I was weighing more.
“I won’t be able to use the inner ball. I’ve sealed the blood dao. Use your own strength to rise.”
He scrambled to his feet in reverence of his master’s words.
“Sealing the Inner Qi? Sealing the Inner Qi, the lifeblood of the unborn, how does that make sense?”
“It’s a physical discipline. Isn’t it natural to not use the inner gong?”
“Yes, but still, isn’t this a bit harsh?”
“But if I can get up like this, it shouldn’t matter if I seal my inner gong.”
No, as soon as I stood up, my whole body screamed.
My ankle felt like it was going to snap, and my upper body felt like it was going to plummet to the ground.
As I bent my knees to sit up in bed, he said.
“Come outside.”
Outside, Sifu waits for me.
I grimaced, feeling like I’d chewed shit, and took a step forward, lifting my heavy foot.
Thump! Thump!
The soles of my feet hit the ground with a loud thud.
When I stepped outside, sweat was dripping down my body like rain.
“How’s it going?”
“……It’s hard.”
“But it can’t be helped. Until you control the Plum Blossom Sword, you’ll have to use your body anyway, so bear with it, it will help you.”
The Plum Blade was transformed.
As soon as Master returned, I told him right away.
Unlike Yan Hua, who came to visit occasionally, she couldn’t deceive the master she lived with, so she spoke up first.
“Flag Ceremony.”
Zhang Tianxiu’s flag ceremony was held.
It was a different ceremony than the one that the Boping and Sokka disciples learned.
But this was also explained to him, so he didn’t say anything.
“Begin.”
Boom!
With all his might, he raised his hand and struck out.
“A little slow.”
My fist was very slow due to the weight of the iron ring.
I didn’t like what Sensei said, and I didn’t like what I saw.
So I threw my fist out again.
But it was no different than the first time.
“Mr. Lee…….”
Sifu laughed softly, contrary to my mood.
“You haven’t gotten used to the weight of the iron ring yet, so there’s nothing you can do about it. Don’t let it bother you, just push yourself to the limit.”
“Yes…….”
I didn’t like it, but I did as my master said.
But after two or three seconds, my body couldn’t hold on and I fell forward against my will.
“Ouch…….”
My cheek stung.
I turned my head to look at it and saw a sharp stone beak sticking out.
I moved my hand to wipe the blood from my face, then bent down on one knee and pressed my hand to the ground.
“Get up.”
His legs were wobbly, but he pushed himself up with all his might, determined not to disappoint his master.
“You have to get used to it. Don’t give up.”
I got back up and started working on the third section.
Finally, he unfolded the last one and collapsed to the ground.
Shuffle!
“Ugh…… hard…….”
Sweat soaked my body.
His body refused to move in exhaustion.
His muscles tingled with pain.
“Go wash up. We still have work to do.”
“Can’t I rest a little?”
He chuckled, trying to sound patronizing.
“No, you can’t. Go ahead.”
“Whoa, okay.”
He stood up, took a new robe from his master, and walked toward the valley.
What is close and what is far depends on the person and the situation.
The distance from Quyunam to the valley was short.
But with fifty kilograms of weight on each limb, it took him half a day’s walk to get there.
The sound of the water in the valley was very welcoming.
“Finally!”
With joy, he quickly threw off his clinging clothes and jumped into the stream.
Pung-dung!
The cold water feels wonderful on my sweaty, hot body.
I lay down on the bottom of the ravine and enjoyed the feeling.
My lung capacity is good, so I can stay underwater for about three minutes.
So it’s not dangerous to lie down like this.
Ordinarily.
When I started to feel out of breath, I pulled myself up.
I stuck my head out and exhaled loudly.
“Puh-ha!”
My whole body relaxed, and suddenly, as if something was pulling me down, I fell into the water.
“Uh-hmm… Phew… Pah!”
My nose was pungent from the water in my nose.
“Ugh, I can’t relax, now I have to wash myself, work.
I shook my head, lamenting inwardly.
No longer in the mood to be in the water, I stepped out, put on a new robe, grabbed my old one, and headed back to Quyunam.
When I arrived at half past one again, my master looked at me and said.
“Half past one, you’re late.”
“I can’t help it, this is why…….”
I glared at Cheolhwan, and the master smirked.
“I can see that’s coming, so go make some food.”
“Okay.”
They went to the field.
It didn’t take them long, as they were right behind Qu Yun’am.
He squatted down in the field, picking out ingredients to cook and plucking leaves.
Crunch.
With a sound like paper being torn, the leaf was ripped right down the middle.
“This is different from usual.”
Unlike usual, it required delicate force control.
If I exerted too much force to hold the weight of the iron ring, it would tear in the middle, and if I exerted too little force, my arm would slide downward.
Somehow, she managed to finish cooking, and after eating, she sat back in her chair and sagged.
“My whole body is numb.”
I felt my muscles tingling and pleaded with the master to release it.
He shrugged it off.
“You’ll be fine once you get used to it. I need to go to the Plum Pavilion for a while.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, I’ll find out when I get there. Just make sure you move around a bit so you can get used to it.”
With those words, the polarizing figure of the Master took off like a bird.
The Divine Law, Master Mujin, was already a dot in the distance.
When he could no longer see him, he stood up.