Chapter 98
The Guiding Path (2)
After studying the Namcheon Doae Sword manual dozens of times, Namgung Jun sat down in the lotus position and entered meditation.
He cast aside every verse, illustration, insight, and principle of the Namcheon Doae Sword.
Only its name remained in his memory.
The achievements of his previous life gradually faded like mist beneath sunlight.
Finding a new path from the same martial art, armed with only fragments of an incomplete manual, was no easy task.
It might even prove inferior to simply following the Namcheon Doae Sword of his previous life.
It doesn't matter.
The mistakes, misjudgments, and even stagnation of this moment would one day become nothing more than footprints marking his journey forward.
Fragments of the Namcheon Doae Sword's surviving verses drifted through his mind.
Doae .
The concept of guiding something to its ultimate end.
The Sword Emperor of his previous life had trained in the Namcheon Doae Sword with the determination to reach the ultimate pinnacle of the heavy sword.
But what about now?
Namgung Jun dismantled every remaining verse of the Namcheon Doae Sword piece by piece.
Familiar, yet strangely new.
The insights and inspirations left behind by generations of Changcheon Society Lords who had struggled to restore the art intertwined before him.
Unlike the Sword Emperor, those successive Society Lords had not been bound by the heavy sword.
The Namcheon Doae Sword was a sword art the Sword Emperor had created late in life.
Naturally, the disciples of Namcheon Palace had never even begun learning it. Most knew only of its existence and had never witnessed it personally.
Other than the Sword Emperor himself, the manual was the sole source of knowledge concerning the Namcheon Doae Sword.
With much of that manual lost, it was understandable that successive Changcheon Society Lords had struggled to grasp even the faintest clue of its true nature.
Was it because they had never seen the Namcheon Doae Sword as wielded by the Sword Emperor and lacked any clear records or direction?
The Society Lords throughout the generations seemed to have attempted its restoration by adding their own imagination and interpretations.
As a result, the verses and principles had not become rigidly confined within the framework of the heavy sword.
Instead, they possessed the freedom to extend in any direction.
That's right. In my previous life, I forcefully adjusted every aspect of the sword art so that all my insights converged into the heavy sword.
Even while examining only fragments of the surviving verses, a thought crossed Namgung Jun's mind.
Was there ever a need to do that?
When he had first created the Namcheon Doae Sword in his previous life, he had been filled with pride, believing there was no heavy sword art in the Jianghu that could rival it.
But what did he see now?
It was undoubtedly a powerful heavy sword art.
Yet he could also sense its limitations.
It had become far too biased toward a single path.
At a glance, it even revealed traces of stubbornness and obsession.
Namgung Jun realized something.
His vision had been obstructed by a wall he himself had erected.
I will let go of the Namcheon Doae Sword of my previous life.
Within his sea of consciousness, he slowly dismantled the Namcheon Doae Sword.
During the process, the principles of the Great Yan Sword Art and the Sky Palace surfaced before him.
The Namcheon Doae Sword's verses began filling the loosened gaps that appeared between the Great Yan Sword Art and Sky Palace Shining Brilliance.
The end I seek now is different from the one I sought in my previous life.
When the destination changes, the path must also change.
The essence of Doae remained within his mind—not as the core principle of a sword art, but as a fragment of understanding.
That alone was enough.
After all, the insight and principle he pursued now was already embodied by Sky Palace Shining Brilliance.
The stirring inspiration remained vivid within him.
BOOM!
A thunderous roar suddenly erupted within his mind.
The verses of the Azure King Reaching the World Technique crashed into the center of his consciousness like a bolt of lightning.
The free and boundless principles unique to the Azure King Reaching the World Technique intertwined with those of the Namcheon Doae Sword.
Their shared intent became a bridge of enlightenment connecting the Great Yan Sword Art and Sky Palace Shining Brilliance.
It was as though the cultivation method and sword art had been created with the expectation that they would be practiced together.
Their principles and insights blended together naturally and smoothly.
A vast azure radiance spread across Namgung Jun's mind like the heavens themselves.
Yet before it could reach its furthest extent, it abruptly stopped halfway.
The enlightenment had not yet fully taken shape.
“Hoo…”
Exhaling slowly, Namgung Jun steadied his breathing.
He had not gained a clear breakthrough.
But he had found a definite direction.
There is no need to remain bound by the Namcheon Doae Sword of my previous life.
Namgung Jun took another measured breath.
At last, he understood why Ha Hu Seon had given him the Namcheon Doae Sword manual.
He opened the manual once more.
Since he already knew every surviving verse by heart, there was no longer any need for him to keep it.
Having made his decision, he immediately headed toward Changcheon Pavilion.
As usual, Ha Hu Seon was carving a wooden sword when Namgung Jun arrived.
The Society Lord welcomed him warmly.
“Have you encountered an obstacle?”
“No.”
Namgung Jun held out the Namcheon Doae Sword manual.
“I have come to return this manual.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I realized that although the Society Lord wished to restore the Namcheon Doae Sword, such a thing cannot truly be done.”
Ha Hu Seon studied him silently for a moment before a gentle smile appeared on his face.
“You give up more quickly than I expected.”
Namgung Jun shook his head.
“Instead, I gained a new insight.”
Ha Hu Seon's eyes filled with surprise.
“I am curious what kind of enlightenment you obtained.”
“I tried organizing my thoughts, however incomplete they may be.”
Namgung Jun produced a newly written manual.
“I'll read its contents aloud. If you find it worthwhile, please keep it.”
Ha Hu Seon listened to the contents of the manual through voice transmission.
For a long while, he said nothing. Then he slowly set down the wooden sword he had been carving.
“The previous Changcheon Society Lords each dreamed of their own Doae , adding insights and verses while racing toward the destination. Yet you have done the opposite. By stepping away from the path and letting it go entirely, you pursue a Doae that belongs solely to you.”
While the previous Society Lords had sought to fill in the blank spaces while dreaming of their own versions of the Namcheon Doae Sword, Namgung Jun had treated the Namcheon Doae Sword not as a destination, but as a new point of departure.
To gain such an advanced realization in such a short time...
The enlightenment contained within the manual Namgung Jun presented was truly precious.
“Haa...”
The truth was that Ha Hu Seon had held certain expectations when he gave Namgung Jun the Namcheon Doae Sword manual.
With Namgung Jun's brilliance and talent, perhaps he might accomplish what generations of Changcheon Society Lords could not and partially restore the Namcheon Doae Sword.
Yet Namgung Jun had exceeded those expectations and presented an entirely new path.
Truly astonishing.
As Ha Hu Seon savored the realization Namgung Jun had shared, Namgung Jun spoke again.
“May I offer one opinion regarding the Namcheon Doae Sword?”
“Of course. Speak freely.”
“I do not believe there is any need to remain obsessed with restoring the Namcheon Doae Sword.”
“I see. The enlightenment you gained certainly extended in a completely different direction from restoration.”
After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Namgung Jun continued.
“Rather than crudely filling in the unknown portions of something whose true end we cannot even see, it may be better to focus on the martial arts that remain intact today. The Namcheon Doae Sword is sufficient exactly as it is.”
“Is that so?”
Ha Hu Seon ran his hand over the manual before slowly rising to his feet.
“Would you care to walk with me for a moment?”
“Yes.”
The two walked side by side.
Behind Changcheon Pavilion stood a small bamboo grove. The gentle rustling of bamboo swaying in the wind brought a sense of peace.
“The Azure King Reaching the World Technique that I taught you, and the Namcheon Doae Sword as well, both originate from a sect that was destroyed long ago.”
Ha Hu Seon gently touched one of the straight bamboo stalks.
“The Changcheon Society was founded by a survivor of that sect. The bloodline of that survivor now continues through me.”
“What was the name of that sect?”
“Namcheon Palace.”
Namgung Jun merely nodded quietly.
He had already expected as much, so the revelation itself did not surprise him.
Yet hearing the name Namcheon Palace spoken by another person's lips stirred his emotions.
“The previous Changcheon Society Lords were leaders of the Society, but they also seemed determined to preserve the legacy of Namcheon Palace somehow. The Azure King Reaching the World Technique and the Namcheon Doae Sword are proof of that. Though the Namcheon Doae Sword was never successfully restored...”
“Are you bound by Namcheon Palace?”
“Perhaps I am. The Changcheon Society Lords carry the burden of being both leaders of the Society and descendants of Namcheon Palace.”
After a moment of thought, Namgung Jun asked:
“What kind of place was Namcheon Palace?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don't believe a sect's legacy is carried on solely through its martial arts. If the will and ideals the sect pursued continue onward, that too is a form of inheritance. If a sect's identity survives, its martial arts naturally inherit that intent as well.”
Ha Hu Seon could not answer immediately.
Yet Namgung Jun continued.
“If the Changcheon Society is faithfully carrying on the identity of Namcheon Palace, then I do not believe there is much reason for concern.”
“You mean there is no need to be obsessed with restoring its martial arts.”
Of course, martial artists would differ in their opinions on such matters.
But as the last Palace Lord of Namcheon Palace, this was Namgung Jun's view.
Unlike the Azure King Mental Art, the Namcheon Doae Sword had lost most of its substance. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it had lost its original form entirely.
It was a martial art whose name alone remained.
Rather than clinging to such a thing, he believed one should continue moving toward the future.
Naturally, there was value in respecting the past, reflecting upon it, and growing from it.
But there was also value in letting go of the past and moving forward with nothing but one's own bare hands and feet.
There was no single correct answer when it came to advancing.
What mattered was taking the first step.
That was why Namgung Jun was merely presenting Ha Hu Seon with another possible road.
“If the Doae pursued by Namcheon Palace and the Changcheon Society is the same, then isn't that enough?”
“The Changcheon Society's Doae... I see. So that was it.”
Ha Hu Seon fell deep into thought.
Then he sat down in meditation.
Perhaps something had come to him.
Seeing him enter meditation, Namgung Jun stood guard.
Half a day passed.
By the time the sky had turned crimson with sunset, Ha Hu Seon's eyes slowly opened.
“Society Lord.”
“You stood guard for me. Thank you.”
Helping Ha Hu Seon rise to his feet, Namgung Jun saw the old man smile.
“The restoration of the Namcheon Doae Sword has been the pursuit of my entire life. Yet after hearing your words, it feels as though a heart demon I have carried for decades has finally disappeared.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
“Thank you.”
Ha Hu Seon gently brushed the back of Namgung Jun's hand.
Warmth flowed from the old man's weathered fingers through the deep wrinkles carved by time.
***
“Hoo...”
Namgung Jun barely managed to sit up on his bed.
A violent flare-up of his Nine Yin Severed Meridians had struck him again after a long period of calm.
As expected, the more meridians I open, the worse the attacks become.
His internal energy had grown, and he had become increasingly skilled at mitigating the pain during each episode through careful circulation.
Yet the attacks themselves grew stronger in proportion.
Still, there was no choice but to endure.
Opening all the blocked meridians at once was virtually impossible.
His body would never withstand it.
He could only continue opening them one by one and endure the suffering that came with the process.
Even so, opening them is still the correct path.
Successfully opening a blocked meridian increased one's internal energy more than most spiritual medicines ever could.
Especially now.
Though his essence, energy, and spirit had achieved harmony, they had not yet reached true unity.
He had only attained a rough balance.
The finer adjustments remained incomplete.
Which meant both his body and internal energy still needed to grow further.
At that moment—
He heard a familiar set of footsteps approaching from afar.
“Jun, did you suffer another attack?”
“Yes. I'm fine now.”
“Really? Then we'd better start preparing.”
“Preparing for what?”
Lee Se-ha showed a meaningful smile.
“For the next meridian opening.”
Namgung Jun's eyes widened.