Chapter 97
The Guiding Path (1)
Ha Hu Seon unfolded the paper.
“Geukmu Hall, Cheoltap Hall.”
Those names were expected.
Both halls had originally belonged to the Three Pillars, so there was nothing strange about that. The real question was the final name that would leave Ha Hu Seon’s lips.
It was obvious that Heavenly Sword Hall had achieved outstanding results in the combat evaluation, but that did little to ease the tension.
Would Bisin Hall, one of the existing Three Pillars, keep its position, or would Heavenly Sword Hall reclaim its former place among them?
Even members who belonged to neither Heavenly Sword Hall nor Bisin Hall focused intently on Ha Hu Seon’s next words.
“It seems the Three Pillars have changed this time. The new Three Pillars now include Heavenly Sword Hall.”
The aged voice of the Changcheon Society Lord gently spread across the Grand Training Grounds.
A moment later, cheers erupted from the Heavenly Sword Hall side.
“The Three Pillars? The Three Pillars! They’re calling us one of the Three Pillars!”
“We did it! We’re back among the Three Pillars!”
“I thought it would take us several more years!”
The swordsmen of Heavenly Sword Hall embraced one another in celebration before turning their gazes toward Namgung Jun.
“The youngest contributed tremendously.”
“To be honest, the youngest did almost everything himself. We just followed his instructions.”
“Stop standing all the way over there and come here, Namgung Jun.”
The Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen dragged Namgung Jun from the corner to the center, ruffling his hair and patting his shoulders without restraint.
Man Ye-won discreetly reached out as well, only to meet Namgung Jun’s sharp gaze and hurriedly withdraw her hand.
“Not bad.”
The hands reaching toward him still felt awkward, but at the same time, Namgung Jun felt as though he had received confirmation that he was truly living well as a member of Heavenly Sword Hall.
Once the announcement of the new Three Pillars concluded, a banquet immediately followed.
The banquet was held right there in the Grand Training Grounds.
An endless stream of food and alcohol was brought in, and the members of the Ten Halls sat down to enjoy the celebration.
During the combat evaluation, each hall’s members had stayed among themselves, but the banquet was different.
Without regard for hall affiliation, people mingled freely wherever their feet and hearts led them.
Several banners and members from Bisin Hall came over to congratulate Heavenly Sword Hall, drank a few cups of wine, and then returned to their own groups.
Drinking gatherings sprang up all over the grounds, but no matter where one looked, Heavenly Sword Hall was the center of attention.
“It’s been a very long time since I drank simply to get pleasantly drunk.”
Heo Il smiled at his wine cup while opening and closing his callus-covered right hand.
The cup Namgung Jun had filled reflected the bright moonlight.
“Days like this are necessary once in a while.”
“Namgung Jun! Me too!”
When Man Ye-won held out her cup, Namgung Jun laughed and picked up the wine bottle.
“You’ve improved quite a bit yourself. I was honestly surprised by how much progress you showed.”
“Hmph. I’m only lacking compared to you. I was considered a promising talent in my own right, you know?”
Though Man Ye-won grumbled while poking at the food with her chopsticks, the corners of her mouth were subtly raised.
As Namgung Jun filled her cup, members from other halls approached carrying food and alcohol in both hands.
“Brother Namgung, I watched your performance with great interest.”
“Brother Baekri. You’ve come.”
Leading the group was Baekri Cheong, accompanied by several young talents from the various halls whom Namgung Jun had met during the previous Songshan Assembly martial arts tournament.
Among them were Samyeop of Bisin Hall and Jang Mun-hyeok of Cheoltap Hall.
“Namgung Jun, you’re already serving as a banner bearer. We’re still just a step short.”
“And not only that. You displayed overwhelming martial prowess even among your seniors.”
“As expected of the foremost rising talent of the orthodox path. Watching your performance today made me feel strangely proud.”
As each of them offered congratulations, Namgung Jun responded by filling their cups.
Looking at the young talents gathered around him, he nodded.
“It seems none of you have stagnated since then. You’re all progressing rapidly, so there’s no need to be impatient.”
“Hearing that from you is encouraging, Brother Namgung.”
“I hope we get another chance to spar soon. Sparring with you is a tremendous help when it comes to making breakthroughs.”
Baekri Cheong tossed a dumpling toward Namgung Jun as he spoke.
“Now that Heavenly Sword Hall has returned to the Three Pillars, we’ll probably be carrying out more joint missions together in the future.”
“Joint missions?”
Before Baekri Cheong could answer, Samyeop of Bisin Hall replied.
“For large-scale or difficult assignments, two or three halls sometimes work together. There are also missions specifically assigned to the Three Pillars.”
“Come to think of it, Brother Namgung, have you never participated in a joint mission before?”
“That’s correct.”
Samyeop and Jang Mun-hyeok exchanged surprised looks and nodded.
“Well, joint missions aren’t all that common.”
“Even so, you’ve never experienced one? That really puts into perspective how quickly you’ve advanced through the ranks.”
Namgung Jun chuckled and resumed eating.
Most of the dishes had gone cold while they talked, but they possessed a charm of their own.
He sampled the food little by little while sipping his wine.
Sharing drinks with like-minded companions was always enjoyable.
For a moment, he remembered the drinking gatherings he had shared with his disciples in his previous life.
He had never been a particularly heavy drinker, but once his disciples began offering him cup after cup, he often ended up drinking quite a lot.
He would become pleasantly intoxicated, yet he never bothered using his internal energy to purge the alcohol’s effects.
The time spent drinking with his disciples, watching all of their faces gradually turn red together, had been genuinely joyful and precious.
His disciples were no longer by his side.
But in their place stood the comrades of the Changcheon Society.
As the wine warmed his throat on its way down, a similar warmth spread through a corner of his heart.
At that moment, Namgung Jun let out a slow breath.
“Hoo…”
He wanted to remember this moment as clearly as possible and was steadying his breathing when—
Come up here for a moment.
Namgung Jun raised his head.
Judging by the direction, the voice transmission had come from the tent set up on the platform overlooking the Grand Training Grounds.
It was a message from the Changcheon Society Lord.
When he entered the tent, he found not only the Society Lord but also the Ink Fragrance Lord, the Elder Council Lord, the Hall Masters, Pavilion Lords, and other senior officials gathered inside.
He had heard that the leadership held their own gathering so that ordinary members could enjoy themselves freely.
As for why someone who was merely an ordinary member had been summoned to such a place, Namgung Jun could only guess.
“You’ve come.”
“I greet the Society Lord.”
Shoving the Hall Masters seated on either side of him aside, Lee Se-ha patted the newly made space beside him.
“Jun, come over here.”
“Hah. Your love for your disciple truly knows no bounds.”
The Gwangsi Hall Master, who had been unceremoniously pushed aside, clicked his tongue but still nodded toward Namgung Jun.
“Come, sit. I’ll fill your cup.”
“I’m not sure I deserve to be seated here.”
“No one here thinks otherwise.”
As Namgung Jun sat beside Lee Se-ha, the gazes of the senior figures gathered upon him.
Some were already acquainted with him, while others were seeing him for the first time.
Yet the nature of their gazes was much the same.
Some looked at him as an exceptional junior.
Others looked at him as an equal martial artist.
Ha Hu Seon, who had been observing him, slowly opened his mouth.
“The overall advancement of Heavenly Sword Hall during this combat evaluation was remarkable. No one can deny that you stood at the center of it.”
Namgung Jun simply lowered his head modestly.
“Namgung Jun, I am pleased by your growth, and I would like to give you a gift. Though perhaps calling it a gift is an exaggeration.”
At Ha Hu Seon’s nod, Yun Gyeongjong handed a martial arts manual to Namgung Jun.
The moment he accepted it, his eyelids trembled slightly.
Namcheon Doae Sword .
The primary sword art used by the Sword Emperor in his previous life.
Yet without even opening the manual, Namgung Jun immediately sensed something strange.
It looks like a newly copied version, but it’s too thin.
It was an ancient martial art, and the manual could easily have been damaged during the destruction of Namcheon Palace. There was nothing particularly unusual about that.
Even so, Namgung Jun pretended not to notice.
“What is this manual?”
“This sword art was never placed in the martial archives. It has been passed down exclusively through the generations of Changcheon Society Lords. Unfortunately, more than half of the manual has been damaged. It is incomplete.”
Ha Hu Seon smiled bitterly before continuing.
“So much of it has been lost that it is difficult to practice properly. But after seeing the move you displayed today—Sky Palace Shining Brilliance—I thought it might be of some help.”
“Am I truly permitted to read it?”
“Of course. It may be only half a manual, but I hope it proves useful to you.”
Namgung Jun nodded.
Now that he had officially obtained the Namcheon Doae Sword manual, there would be little issue demonstrating its techniques in the future.
“Thank you.”
“If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to ask at any time.”
***
After the combat evaluation ended, daily life resumed.
The rewards for reclaiming a place among the Three Pillars were substantial.
The budget allocated by the Ink Fragrance Division increased, and medicinal elixirs were distributed to every member of Heavenly Sword Hall.
Naturally, since they were mass-produced supply elixirs, their effect on internal energy growth was not particularly dramatic, but they were certainly better than nothing.
After consuming the elixirs, the swordsmen of Heavenly Sword Hall continued their training as usual.
Having realized the effectiveness of their new training methods, the members devoted themselves to cultivating Sword Foundation Qi Art and the Great Yan Sword Art on their own initiative.
The endless sparring matches and sword discussions that had characterized the intensive training period no longer lasted all day, but Namgung Jun never turned away those who sought his guidance.
At the same time, he carefully studied the Namcheon Doae Sword manual.
It really has suffered extensive losses.
Many sections were missing explanations and illustrations.
Yet one question continued to linger in his mind.
Namcheon Doae Sword is unquestionably a heavy sword art. Yet Sky Palace Shining Brilliance contains the essence of every sword art I have learned in this life. Why did he recommend that I study Namcheon Doae Sword?
As he examined the manual, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
I know the complete Namcheon Doae Sword, but...
The previous Changcheon Society Lords certainly had not.
Even when reading the same verses, perhaps they had expanded in entirely different directions while attempting to fill the missing gaps.
Had they not each gazed upon their own heavens in different eras and circumstances?
The sky itself stretched endlessly the same as ever, yet what each person saw within it could be infinitely different.
Because he knew everything, Namgung Jun suddenly realized how narrow his perspective had become.
He raised his head and looked outside.
Beyond the small window, the sky stretched endlessly.
Had he too been looking only at a small fragment of the sky framed by window bars all this time?
“Have I grown complacent? Perhaps I’ve become too trapped by the memories of my previous life.”
After a moment of contemplation, he stepped outside with the Namcheon Doae Sword manual still in his hand.
Rather than viewing the sky through a window, he wanted to raise his head and experience its vastness directly.
How fascinating. Simply changing my perspective makes the same sky appear completely different.
A smile gradually formed on Namgung Jun’s lips as he gazed upward.
He had believed he had gained countless insights in his previous life.
Yet now, looking at things this way, he could see many things he had overlooked and many new lessons still waiting to be learned.
Moving forward was not the end.
Perhaps there were precious truths hidden behind him that he had never noticed before.
“So the Martial Dao is not a straight road stretching endlessly ahead, but a boundless sky expanding in every direction.”
Taking a deep breath, Namgung Jun opened the Namcheon Doae Sword manual once more.
He discarded his preconception that Namcheon Doae Sword was merely a heavy sword art and began breaking down each verse one by one.
Gradually, he immersed himself completely in the manual.
With a different perspective, even the passages he had long known—and the traces left behind by successive Changcheon Society Lords as they attempted to restore the Namcheon Doae Sword—appeared entirely different.
And so Namgung Jun spent the entire day absorbed in the study of Namcheon Doae Sword.