Chapter 83
Behind the Family Head’s Hall was the Family head’s exclusive Training Ground.
High walls surrounded it on all sides, and the Pacheon Sword Saint stood in the middle of the Training Ground.
He held two wooden swords in one hand.
“Jangjunggeom (Sword in Hand) begins with gripping a sword in your hand and swinging it.”
The Pacheon Sword Saint held out one of the wooden swords to Baek-Cheong and spoke.
“First, try gripping the sword.”
Baek-Cheong accepted the wooden sword.
‘It’s light.’
Since it was for Training, it didn’t weigh much.
Actually gripping it, however, felt incredibly awkward.
In the life of a Practitioner, a sword was an item controlled by infusing energy into a dharma treasure; this was her first time directly gripping and swinging one with her own hands.
The Pacheon Sword Saint slowly raised his own wooden sword to show her.
“The index and thumb guide the direction, and the remaining three fingers support the power.”
The Sword Saint’s hand didn’t look like it was exerting any force, yet the sword didn’t even tremble.
She could intuitively gauge the distribution of power across each joint of his fingers.
‘The posture isn’t difficult.’
She definitely understood it in her head.
Therefore, she confidently copied him.
However, the Sword Saint looked at her hand and pointed out a flaw.
“There is too much force in your index finger.”
When she relaxed her index finger, the sword wobbled.
When she hastily gripped it with her remaining fingers, her wrist twisted.
“Do not turn your wrist.”
‘I’m trying not to!’
The moment she relaxed her index finger, her balance collapsed, and her wrist turned on its own.
She had accurately grasped the problem in her head, but her hand moved as it pleased.
It took a long time just to correct how she gripped the sword.
And the moment she thought she had finally gripped it properly.
The Pacheon Sword Saint slowly raised his wooden sword and slashed downwards from top to bottom.
It was an incredibly slow and easy movement.
“Try following this movement.”
‘That’s simple?’
Baek-Cheong raised her wooden sword and slashed downwards.
The Pacheon Sword Saint’s expression stiffened minutely.
“…Again.”
She raised it again.
She slashed downwards again.
The Pacheon Sword Saint stroked his beard once.
“Your shoulders are open. Pull them in.”
She tightened her shoulders.
“Elbows.”
When she pulled her elbows inward, her wrists bent.
“Your wrists must be fixed.”
When she fixed her wrists, her shoulders loosened again.
“Shoulders.”
When she caught her shoulders, her waist twisted.
“Keep your waist straight.”
When she straightened her waist, her lower body wobbled.
“Look at your feet.”
She knew she had to do everything simultaneously.
Shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, lower body.
It was merely five things.
Compared to unfolding a Multi-layered Technique, it was nothing.
But it didn’t go as she thought.
If she corrected one thing, another part collapsed.
If she caught the collapsed part, yet another part loosened.
The things she had done so far were static.
From Pill Refining to Talisman Crafting, Formation, or Puppetry.
But slashing a sword downwards was different.
She had to move her muscles, joints, and bones.
It was even impossible to use Divine Sense or energy to assist in moving her body.
‘I’m a Clumsy Person…?’
Baek-Cheong couldn’t hide her bewilderment at her body moving differently from her thoughts.
.
.
.
Wait, a couple of shichen passed like that.
During that time, she repeated the same movement hundreds of times.
She received corrections all hundreds of times.
Shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, lower body.
The same five things returned endlessly.
The Pacheon Sword Saint neither grew tired nor showed irritation.
With his dry, emotionless face, he repeated the same corrections.
However, there was a noticeable change.
The eyes that had gleamed wildly upon discovering her Jade Lotus Physique had calmly subsided.
Only the frequency of him stroking his beard had noticeably increased.
“That is all for today.”
At the words that it was over, all the strength drained from Baek-Cheong’s body.
As soon as she let go of the wooden sword, her knees almost buckled.
She barely held on and bowed her waist to show her respects.
“Come at the same time tomorrow.”
The Pacheon Sword Saint turned around and left the Training Ground.
Baek-Cheong stood in place until his shabby Robe Hem disappeared beyond the wall.
Rather than standing, she couldn’t move.
.
.
.
The path to her Abode seemed endless.
Her arms ached, her shoulders felt like they would fall off, and the blisters on her palms chafed.
As soon as she arrived at her Abode, she collapsed onto her bed.
“To the Nameless Forum…”
Her body was battered from Physical Training that wasn’t in her destiny, but the Nameless Forum was the joy that helped her endure the day.
However, her eyelids closed faster than she could move her Divine Sense.
“Nyaum…”
Baek-Cheong instantly fell asleep, merely mumbling like she was sleep talking.
* * *
She woke up to the morning sunlight seeping through the window crack.
Baek-Cheong sprang up.
“Morning…?”
She had only intended to close her eyes for a moment, but she had passed out and it had become morning.
And the fact that she hadn’t been able to browse the forum was despair-inducing.
“Is this the life of a Physical Cultivator…?”
It had been a really long time since she spent a day without connecting to the Nameless Forum.
Even while doing Inscribed Pill Refining all night, she had divided her Divine Sense to browse the Nameless Forum.
To think she couldn’t browse the forum after just one day of Physical Cultivation Training.
If she feared the Pacheon Sword Saint’s Training, this was the true reason.
But she had no time to lament.
She wasn’t in a position to dare defy the Training just because it was hard.
She hurriedly washed her face and changed her clothes.
Her whole body ached, but it didn’t hinder her movements.
It seemed the muscles, bones, and blood refined by the Inscribed Pill had recovered to some extent overnight.
‘It’s a relief, I suppose.’
Just because her body became sturdier didn’t mean being a Clumsy Person was cured.
Fortunately, it lessened the worry of being forced to become an Inheritor Disciple by the Pacheon Sword Saint, but she couldn’t help feeling frustrated with herself for not even being able to do simple movements because she was a Clumsy Person.
“I don’t know.”
Baek-Cheong swallowed a sigh and left her Abode.
It was when she was hurrying her steps toward the Family Family Head’s Hall’s Training Ground.
“Huh?”
She spotted her uncle, who was similarly heading toward the Family Head’s Hall.
For some reason, her uncle’s steps were relaxed, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t curious about why he looked in such a good mood since morning.
But something else came to mind first.
“How dare you be happy?”
He was the very culprit who had drawn the Pacheon Sword Saint to the Yeonha Baek Clan, the one who had induced this by listing her Talents one by one in front of the Pacheon Sword Saint, and as a result, she had become the Pacheon Sword Saint’s Disciple and fallen into the hell known as Physical Cultivation Training.
‘I’m suffering this much, and you’re happy?’
Baek-Cheong burned with a sense of injustice and a desire for revenge.
However, she wore a smile on her face.
It was a smile that made her look like a bright eleven-year-old child.
She approached him, greeting him with a bright voice.
“Uncle! Good morning.”
Baek Mu-Yeong turned his head at his Niece’s voice.
“Oh, Cheong-A. Where are you going so early in the morning?”
“I’m on my way to the Training Ground. To receive teachings from Master Pacheon Sword Saint.”
“I see.”
Baek Mu-Yeong nodded with a smile all over his face.
“I still can’t believe it. To think our Cheong-Yi is the Pacheon Sword Saint’s Disciple.”
The mere fact that she was the Pacheon Sword Saint’s Inheritor Disciple was bound to elevate the status of the Yeonha Baek Clan.
Of course, he knew that she was only an Inheritor Disciple externally, and in reality, she was a Named Disciple.
But since appearances were what mattered, he didn’t mind.
“Where could there be a more auspicious event than this?”
Baek Mu-Yeong continued speaking with a pleased expression.
Baek-Cheong maintained her bright smile and replied.
“Yes. I’m truly happy to have become the Pacheon Sword Saint’s Disciple.”
She spoke elegantly, deliberately emphasizing that she had become a Disciple.
At that, a faint change occurred on her uncle’s face.
His relaxed mouth corners stiffened slightly, and he blinked once.
“This is why my quick-witted uncle is…”
She didn’t miss the hint of anxiety flashing in her uncle’s eyes.
As expected of a Merchant Guild Master, it seemed he had intuitively sensed something.
“R-right. It is a happy event.”
Baek Mu-Yeong smiled subtly awkwardly and changed the subject.
“I have some brief business with my elder brother. I should get going.”
“Trying to run away?”
Baek-Cheong naturally took a step to the side, blocking the passage of the hallway.
“Uncle. Your proud Niece has become the Pacheon Sword Saint’s Disciple, so don’t you have a present for me?”
“A present…?”
“Yes. Shouldn’t you show a token of congratulations, uncle?”
Baek Mu-Yeong gathered his flustered expression and quickly retorted.
“Haha, have you forgotten that I had the Five Elements Golem made for you?”
‘As expected, he’s using that to block me.’
Baek-Cheong tilted her head slightly and replied articulately.
“The Five Elements Golem? That was the price for the condition that I behave modestly in front of the special guest.”
Baek Mu-Yeong couldn’t maintain his composure, and his pupils trembled minutely.
Since it was a condition he had set himself, he couldn’t even deny it.
“Becoming the Pacheon Sword Saint’s Disciple is a different matter. If the merits are different, the calculations should be separate.”
Baek Mu-Yeong’s complexion stiffened, albeit slightly.
As a Merchant, there was no way he would back down easily.
He opened his mouth to quickly strike first.
“Cheong-A, your uncle…”
“Please make me a 2nd Tier Five Elements Golem.”
But Baek-Cheong cut him off and demanded the item she wanted.
At that, her uncle’s mouth stopped half-open.
“2nd Tier?”
“Yes. 2nd Tier level.”
Baek Mu-Yeong gathered his senses and showed a look of difficulty.
“Cheong-A, a 2nd Tier Five Elements Golem costs double the spirit stones of a 1st Tier. Besides, wouldn’t it be too much for you to handle a 2nd Tier golem with a Qi Condensation body?”
“A golem uses spirit stones as power and is controlled with Divine Sense, isn’t it?”
Baek-Cheong continued speaking without any sign of backing down.
“And you know it too, uncle. That I possess a Divine Sense superior to my peers or Cultivators of the same level.”
Considering what the Pacheon Sword Saint had muttered at the Baeksang Pavilion and the actions she had shown so far, there was no way he wouldn’t know.
Above all, the person who had directly listed her Talents in front of the Pacheon Sword Saint was none other than her uncle himself.
“That’s…”
Baek Mu-Yeong smacked his lips and tried to retort, but he was at a loss for words.
He had already realized that her Divine Sense was outstanding, so he couldn’t even deny it.
“Still, I’m the Pacheon Sword Saint’s Disciple, so you won’t leave me disappointed, right?”
And Baek-Cheong maintained her smile until the end, driving the wedge in.
At this, Baek Mu-Yeong squeezed his eyes shut.
It was brief, but a long and deep silence flowed.
Eventually, he opened his mouth with a sigh.
“…Understood.”
It was a voice thick with the air of defeat.
Baek-Cheong smiled brightly and bowed her waist.
“Thank you, uncle.”
Baek Mu-Yeong shook his head and moved his steps toward the Family Head’s Hall.
His back looked a span smaller than usual as he walked away.
Baek-Cheong looked at his shrunken back and nodded in satisfaction.
“A 2nd Tier Five Elements Golem.”
She wasn’t entirely sure if she could actually handle it.
But rather than bowing and scraping when she needed it later.
It was cleaner to have it prepared when she was in an advantageous position.
“This is an investment, an investment.”
Lightly convincing herself, she turned her steps toward the Training Ground.
Thanks to landing a blow on her uncle, her mood was much lighter.
The resentment of missing a day of browsing the forum seemed to have eased a bit too.
The Pacheon Sword Saint’s dry, emotionless face would be waiting at the Training Ground, but she moved her steps while harboring the baseless optimism that at least today might be better than yesterday.
.
.
.
As a side note, it was said in the aftermath that Yuk-Muk fainted on the spot upon receiving Baek Mu-Yeong’s message to make a 2nd Tier Five Elements Golem.